A World Reborn
by Myu98
Summary: The world has ended. A nuclear war wiped all life, including the humans responsible. But from the ashes, a new race of beings emerged. They call themselves Pokémon. For twenty years they lived in peace, raising a new generation. But one day, their peaceful life is shattered when they find humans that are still alive. Will they try to live in peace, or go to war?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon**

* * *

A World Reborn - Prologue

Humans. A violent race. For centuries they warred against each other, for almost any reason. Territory, resources, or grudges against each other. As they grew, so did their capacity for war, creating more and more violent weapons, until they created the ultimate weapon; the nuclear missile. It could wipe out an entire city and everything around it. The worst part was the radiation it could unleash destroying all life in it's blast radius and prevent it from ever growing back.

Many countries agreed never to use such a destructive weapon for fear of annihilating each other. But time passed and their anger and aggression grew, until finally, the agreement was ignored and nuclear war was declared. Countries unleased their greatest weapons at each other. But the two most powerful nations, America and Russia, had the most enemies and missiles and fired theirs, not just at each other, but at everyone else, too

The war lasted only two days but the end result was what everyone had tried to avoid; planetary devastation. Nuclear fallout spread throughout the planet, rendering it almost lifeless in a matter of weeks. Humans couldn't survive the radiation and died, along with all plant and animal life. And with that, the planet died, damaged beyond all repair.

Or so it seemed.

When the dust cleared, an unlikely being emerged from the rubble of what was once his house. He was not Human and hadn't been for some time. He appeared before a small group of survivors from his small town which had been caught at the edge of the blast, but no less damaged. Realizing the world had ended, he sought to build a new one from the ashes.

He introduced himself to the surviving Humans as Myu, a blue Mew. With his powers of creation and life he created a mountain that he shaped as a tree. From there, he spread his powers over the remains of his city, creating new life according to his design, and dispelled the radiation that would have killed his new life. He gave all Humans the choice to start over and used his powers of transformation to turn them into new beings in his own image. This new race of beings called themselves Pokémon and thanked Myu for a second chance.

The Pokémon lived in the tree-shaped mountain, which they named the Tree of Beginning, as it was the beginning of their new world. The Tree provided shelter, a spring provided water, and Myu created plants that produced berries for food. Myu also taught the Pokémon how to peacefully resolve their conflicts and disagreements, and at times, intervened himself when necessary.

But Myu couldn't always be there for them, as he had other duties to fulfil. His goal was to spread his power over the entire world so it could thrive again. But that would take years, maybe centuries to do. Myu also had a charge to take care of. A Manaphy, named Hope, who had survived the devastation and called him father.

Twenty years passed and the Pokémon home had grown, now encompassing more than what used to be their town. The Pokémon also had new children, to whom they passed the memory of their old world too, and taught Myu's philosophy of peaceful resolution.

And as for the Humans, the Pokémon believed them to be all dead, killed by their own foolishness, and gone for good. No one had seen a Human since their world ended, and they were content to let it stay that way. But one day, that all changed…


	2. Chapter 1 - Encounter

A World Reborn - Encounter

Lucario wandered through the forest, a basket of freshly picked berries hanging off his arm. Today's harvest was quite good. He was on his way back to the grove when he happened to meet Sceptile, who greeted him with a cheerful smile.

"Thanks for volunteering to help with today's harvest," she said, a basket hanging off her arm.

"You're welcome. Hope Ursaring found as many as us," Lucario said, knowing that the temperamental Pokémon could also be something of a klutz. A couple minutes later, the large bear-like Pokémon came through the brush, carrying only a handful of berries.

"I wasn't able to find very many," he said.

"Its okay. We've got enough to make up," Lucario said.

The trio made their way through the trees and shrubs, back into the massive tree-shaped mountain that dominated the landscape. They reached the base of the mountain, which took the form of a large tree trunk. There, under the protection of the Tree of Beginning, was where the Pokémon lived.

The base of their home was a sprawling landscape with grass covering the entire floor. Rocks jutted out of the ground to provide the smaller Pokémon some height when needed. Caves dotted the walls for living spaces and scattered trees provided shade. Blue crystals lined the walls, floor, and ceiling. Several streams and waterfalls also flowed through the Tree, collecting in several ponds that carried the water out of the Tree and through their land.

Lucario walked to a place in the Tree near a spring reserved for the gathered. He opened his basket and dumped the berries onto the pile, where others would come by and sort them later.

With that done, he walked back to the Nest, an area in the center of the Tree where all Pokémon slept. He passed the Arena, where Pokémon sharpened their skills against each other in sparring matches. Right now, Infernape was fighting against Charizard, trying to outmaneuver the pseudo-dragon, it wasn't going very well.

He also passed the nursey where all the unhatched eggs were taken care of when their parents were otherwise preoccupied.

He finally made it to the Nest, where his daughter, Riolu, waited. When she saw her father, Riolu ran up to him.

"Father!" she shouted as she leapt into his arms.

"Hey, there," he greeted back, embracing her.

"I missed you," she said. "How was the harvest?"

"Great," he responded. "We'll have so many berries, we will be fat for the winter."

Riolu giggled. "Oh, I almost forgot. Myu came by, said he wanted to see you when you got back."

Lucario was startled to hear that. What could Myu want to see him for? He supposed he would find out.

* * *

Myu lived higher in the Tree than the others, so it wasn't a simple matter to get there, as one had to take the labyrinth of tunnels that spanned the Tree. Fortunately, Lucario and many others had gone through them before, so they had a fair amount of them memorized, and he knew a direct route to Myu's hollow. He walked through the tunnels, turning at the right places and eventually came to Myu's spot in the Tree.

It wasn't very big compared to the caves on the ground, but that was because Myu lived alone, and he wasn't very big to begin with. It had a few trees, a large terrace where a nook in one of the trees served as his sleeping space, and a stream fed by a waterfall ran through it.

Lucario looked closer at the stream and saw something in the water that almost perfectly blended in, if not for the red and yellow spots.

"Hope," Lucario said, acknowledging the young Manaphy that seemed to be trying to hide. She hopped out of the water and waved one of her flipper-like arms at him.

"Hi, Lucario!" she said energetically. Myu had put his 'daughter' in charge of the water, making sure that it flowed through the tree and ensuring that it was always drinkable for everyone.

"So… where is your father?" Lucario asked.

"Looking. I'll take you to him!" She leapt and began floating. It was a trick she had picked up from her father, as he tended to telekinetically fly everywhere he went. She flew in a specific direction with Lucario following her. They reached a ledge that looked outside.

Lucario took a moment to admire the view. From this high up he could see their whole world, a sprawling land of grass and trees with flowing streams of crystal clear water. At the end of their world was a mountain range that stretched all around them, shielding them from the outside world. The view today, however, looked larger than a couple years ago.

Lucario looked off to the side and saw the blue Mew he was looking for writing on the ground. Lucario walked up and sat down in front of him. "You wanted to see me, Myu?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," Myu acknowledged. He looked up from what he was doing to look at the Lucario. "I've done my annual measurement of the size of our world and I found something interesting."

Lucario focused on Myu when he heard that. Every year, their land grew larger, the mountains moving outward as a result. No one was sure how it worked, but every year, the mountains moved and when they did, new, lush land was left behind. The mountains didn't just serve as their border; it also served as a barrier. The tall mountains deterred anyone from traveling outside, as it wasn't safe out there. Not only was the landscape barren and desolate, but just about everything was emitting lethal amounts of radiation. Go outside for more than a minute and in less than a day you would die. Even Myu didn't dare go out there. "What did you find?"

"I've double checked my measurements and math and it seems that our world is expanding faster than it did before," Myu answered. "In fact, it seems to be expanding at an exponential rate."

"What? What does that mean?" Lucario asked. Before, Myu had explained their expansion as being at a consistent rate. Now it was speeding up?

"Well, if I'm right, although I can't know for certain, I believe this is a sign that the radiation has gone down a great deal," Myu explained. "Because of this, it makes it easier for the Tree's roots to grow and spread new life."

Lucario gasped. "Does that mean the world will be fixed sooner?"

"It won't take centuries anymore, that I do know," Myu answered. "It could be possible that within the next twenty years, the roots will span from the east to the west coast, but don't take my word on that."

Lucario was happy. If it really did get bigger faster, then that meant Myu might lift the restriction on the number of children born in the community. Myu had placed the restriction so no couple could produce a child without Myu's consent. Myu had placed it to ensure that their population didn't outstrip their resources. Lucario had another question. "If the radiation has gone down enough, do you think we could go outside?"

Myu thought for a moment before answering. "Only if the radiation proves to be low enough that we could survive out there without suffering any ill effects. But keep in mind we have no way of knowing."

Lucario nodded in understanding, saddened by that. Myu, as perceptive as he was, saw Lucario's look and tried to console him. "I know you want to see what's left of your home, but remember, you came from one of the largest coastal cities; it would have been a target and been obliterated."

"I know," Lucario said. "I just miss my old home." The two sat in silence for a while, reminiscing about their losses on that day. "Do you ever think about them?"

"Who?"

"Humans," Lucario clarified.

Myu sighed. "Sometimes." Myu paused for a moment. "But I don't like to dwell on the past or what might have been. I chose to focus on now and what may yet be."

"I understand. I'm the only one here who experienced their worst side on a regular basis," Lucario said. "But you people, you have such a strong sense of community and empathy for each other, it amazes me." Lucario pondered for a while before he spoke up. "Do you think there are still any out there?"

Myu thought before shaking his head. "It's been twenty winters and no sign of them. I think they're all gone for good."

Lucario nodded in agreement. He held the same belief that humans were now extinct and was also one of many who firmly believed that they deserved it.

* * *

It was midday now, and many families were out and about, enjoying the space outside the Tree, and exploring the area around for any hidden surprises that were there. One such family, a Blastoise, a Feraligatr and a Squirtle, were relaxing by one of the streams near the border. The Squirtle was happily running about, his parents napping under the tree. They were hoping to ask Myu if they could have another child, as he had been less restrictive on the number of children lately.

The Squirtle was looking around admiring all the towering trees and small bushes around him and contemplated taking a swim in the stream. Before he could dive in though, he heard a snap nearby. He didn't think much of it, until he heard it again, this time louder and closer. The noise also woke Blastoise and Feraligatr, who turned to face the noise.

Footsteps came from the other side of one of the bushes and a minute later, something stepped out. Squirtle had never seen anything like it. It stood on two legs, had two arms, but had neither fur, scales nor feathers, save for a small patch of fur on the top of its head. It also wore strange hides that covered most of its body, and its feet didn't look like feet. Rather they were more hides.

Blastoise and Feraligatr knew what this was; a human. By the looks of him, he wasn't an adult yet, and was slightly malnourished and dehydrated. His clothes were also in bad shape, like they had been repeatedly ripped and sewn back together.

And he was scared.

The human seemed to fear what he saw. He reached for something on his belt, and when he pulled it out, Feraligatr took a defensive stance. The human had pulled out a gun. The human pointed it at Feraligatr, who growled in response.

Squirtle however took a step towards the strange creature, having never seen something like him before. The human turned his gun on Squirtle, who was oblivious to the threat.

"Squirtle, get back here," Blastoise said softly, hoping not to scare the human. Squirtle however didn't seem to notice, continuing to walk toward the odd creature.

"Stay away," the human said, his voice barely above a whisper. Feraligatr growled at the threat, hoping the human would get the message to leave. "Stay away!" he said, pointing the gun at Feraligatr, who only growled louder.

"What are you?" Squirtle asked, not realizing that the human couldn't understand him.

"Stay away!" he shouted, pointing the gun back and forth between Squirtle and Feraligatr.

"Squirtle, go back to your mother," Feraligatr growled.

"But father…"

"No 'buts', go back!" he nearly roared, scaring the human so much that he lost his aim and his finger pulled on the trigger.

BANG!

* * *

Every Pokémon heard a noise that sounded like thunder, scaring them, as there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Myu and Lucario, in particular, looked out in the direction they heard the sound. It took them both a moment to place the noise with what caused it, as they hadn't heard that specific noise in years. But when they finally recognized it, they felt their hearts stop. Myu surrounded them both in a blue bubble and teleported away.

* * *

Squirtle wasn't sure what had just happened. He had been approaching the human, when there was a flash from the end of that thing it was holding, and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground and his shoulder bleeding.

Blastoise ran to her son's side, praying that he wouldn't die. Feraligatr was madder now than he was before and let a roar loose at the human. It scared the boy so much, he accidentally fired again, this time clipping Feraligatr's upper arm.

He looked at his arm, assessing the damage. As he did so, he heard more footsteps coming, and saw three more humans running up; an adult male, a young boy, and a young woman, all in similar condition.

"Judas, what happened?" the adult asked. "Why did you fire your…" He stopped when he saw Feraligatr growling at him. "Judas, what is that?"

"I don't know," the older boy said, who was evidently Judas. "But it won't stop growling at me."

"Because you shot my son!" Feraligatr roared, startling all the humans, though all they understood was the roar.

A small rumble filled the area, and from behind Feraligatr came a large group of Pokémon, drawn by the loud noise they heard twice. They all gasped at the sight of four humans. The older male spread his arms to shield the younger humans.

A flash of blue drew their attention, and Myu and Lucario appeared. Myu gazed past the humans, choosing to focus on Squirtle. He looked at Squirtle's injury, prying the turtle's paw off his shoulder to get a better look at the wound. There was a hole in his shell, but it didn't look like it was over any organs, so only a flesh wound, and the blood flow was minimal.

Myu heard a clattering sound and looked up to see a gun in the hands of one of the males, and it was pointed at him now. With a flick of his paw, the gun flew out of the human's hand and fell into Lucario's paws, who handled the weapon with care. The sudden movement of the gun being ripped from his hands caused the human to cower behind the older male.

"The humans shot Squirtle!" Feraligatr roared. "They shot my son!"

There was a chorus of growls, roars, hisses and other challenges aimed at the humans, who backed away at the various threats shot their way. Many Pokémon started going to the humans, intending to make them pay for injuring one of their own.

"Stop!" Myu's voice cut across the various threats and noises, making all the Pokémon stop in their tracks and quiet down. He didn't blame them, he was just as mad, and would probably be madder if it had been Hope lying in Squirtle's place, but revenge was not their way. They weren't humans; they don't kill for petty reasons.

Myu looked at the humans, fully assessing their condition. He concluded that they were in need. But one glance back at the Pokémon dashed any ideas of offering mercy. There were mixed expressions among them. Shock, confusion, curiosity, but mostly rage.

The humans couldn't stay.

He walked up to the humans, who seemed to be more comfortable with him, but no less scared. _"Leave now!"_ Myu said telepathically, knowing that the humans wouldn't understand his voice. They jumped at the voice appearing in their heads, but it didn't seem like they were going to argue with it. They took off running, the youngest dropping a bag.

Myu contemplated just letting them go, before deciding that they needed to find out where they came from. He turned back to the Pokémon, scanning them for the one he needed.

"Pidgeot," he said to the large bird. "Follow them." She nodded before taking off, intending to pursue the humans, wherever they went.

* * *

A while later, the adults were gathered at the base of tree, a heated discussion between them.

"I thought humans were extinct?" Charizard said.

"We all did," Sceptile said.

"Looks like a small group of them survived," Flygon said.

"How though? I thought nothing could survive outside?" Charizard said.

"Actually," Lucario said, still holding the gun. All eyes averted to him. "Myu believes the radiation is lower than what it once was, so it could be possible that if they found a shelter and they had the supplies, they could survive."

"Is that true, Myu?" Charizard asked. Myu was staring off into the distance, however, and didn't seem to hear Charizard's question. "Myu!"

The blue Mew snapped out of his trance and faced the group of Pokémon. He saw Infernape looking through the boy's bag, probably to find answers. All he found, though, were a few notebooks with crude drawings in them.

"I had only recently found out the radiation was lower. Keep in mind we have no means of determining how much," Myu answered.

"We know that as time passes the radiation lowers on its own," Lucario interjected. "Though by how much we don't know, and we have no idea how bad it was to begin with."

"All we knew was that we would have died if it wasn't for Myu," Flygon added, sparing a glance at the Mew.

"Why would you send Pidgeot?" Charizard asked.

"She's the fastest flyer, and she won't act irrationally," Myu answered.

Infernape continued to look through the notebooks, coming across some interesting drawings. "What do you make of these, Myu?" he asked, showing the Mew the drawings. Some of them seemed to be inaccurate depictions of what happened on the day they all dreaded, with badly drawn buildings, white streaks that seemed to depict the nuclear missiles, green clouds that were probably the radiation, and people drawn as stick figures lying down, red all around them. Another seemed to be of what they assumed was the boy's family. Another was apparently of a large group of humans, some of them fighting each other. They assumed it was how he pictured the days after looked like. There were other pictures, most of them were either about the last day, his family, or practice drawings of other humans.

"Probably how he interprets their history. He must have been taught like how we teach our children," Myu answered.

"Think there are more with the ones we just saw?" Sceptile asked.

"Probably," Myu said. "They couldn't have survived on their own. I bet where they're going is where the rest of them are."

"How many do you think there are?" Charizard asked.

"Generously? Thirty at the most."

* * *

The group of four humans were driving in a jeep, fueled by an untapped reserve of gasoline, going through a small valley between two mountains. Their attempt to get food from what was left of Wamego was scrapped as the city, along with Manhattan, were apparently gone.

"That thing looked like it was going to eat me!" Judas said, still scared at what he saw.

"Just calm down," the adult male, named Mike, repeated. "We got out of there okay, and we found a place we might all be able to live. Karina, are you sure the Geiger Counter said the radiation there was almost gone?" he asked the only female.

"The radiation is so low that there is no danger of radiation poisoning," she answered.

"And you're sure it's safe to be out here this long?" Judas asked.

"The levels are low enough that we can spend a couple hours out here and not suffer anything long-term," Mike answered. "We found an oasis that apparently survived the apocalypse, so we accomplished that. Unfortunately, those things live there, and it seems they don't want us around."

"So, what do we do?" Judas asked.

"Go back, and see what Harold suggests we do," Mike replied. They drove for several minutes, unaware that they were being followed from the sky.

After nearly a half hour of driving, they had arrived at their destination; the remains of a military base. They walked up to the entrance to the underground bunker, where the rest of them lived. They entered the common area, where several hundred people walked about, waiting for news about the outside. Some tents and rooms were set up to provide private space. They walked past them all and into a radio room.

"Harold?" Mike asked. An older man, in a beat-up army uniform walked over.

"So, did you find what we need?" he asked.

"Yes and no," Mike responded. "We need to talk."

Outside, Pidgeot perched on one of the old telephone poles, using her keen eyes to try and get a thorough assessment of what she was seeing. She was shocked at the sheer number of humans, never seeing so many crammed into one place before. She took off to report this information. She could imagine the others' reaction to this.

* * *

"There's how many humans?!"

Myu would have laughed at Charizard's face if he wasn't also surprised.

"I estimated about five hundred humans," Pidgeot answered for the third time. His reaction was cute the first time, now it was annoying. "They're crammed together in an old military base, not to far from our border."

Before Charizard could repeat his question again, Infernape interjected. "Five hundred? There's almost as many of them as there are of us."

"Not all of them seemed armed," Pidgeot said, glad she could continue. "Most of them seemed to be in need of basic things. They must be struggling to survive."

"Interesting," Myu muttered.

"The fact that so many survived is what's boggling my mind," Lucario spoke up. "How could there be enough room to support so many?"

"Pidgeot," Myu began, "you said they were in a bunker, under the remains of a military base?" She nodded. "Fort Riley," Myu said as if it was a statement. Many of the others had knowing looks, but Lucario had no idea what they were talking about.

"Um, guys, not from here, remember? What's Fort Riley?" he asked.

"It's a military base not too far from here," Myu explained. "During the final few days, they were offering refuge to anyone who was willing. It was the target in this area."

"That explains why the surface of the base is gone," Charizard said. "But how could those humans have survived the end?"

"If the base was preparing for nuclear war, then they must have had a bunker built under the surface where they evacuated who they could when the missiles were launched," Myu deduced. "Just apply some lead to the walls and you've got a small space that can survive a nuclear war."

"So, now we know where they are, and they know where we are," Infernape concluded. "What do we do?"

Myu looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Why do anything?"

"You saw those humans, and from what Pidgeot described, they're struggling to survive," Infernape elaborated. "And we have got more food than we know what to do with, clean water, and fresh air. Not to mention the lack of radiation. They're gonna come here. It's only a matter of time."

"And just one of them injured Squirtle and clipped Feraligatr," Charizard agreed. "Humans are very aggressive, and with that many here, they're going to hunt us for sport or food."

"With so many eggs here, they're bound to do something," Pidgeot said.

"But they're struggling to survive," Sceptile reminded. "They need help, and we could offer it. We've got enough to spare." Many Pokémon cried out for attack, while others pleaded for sympathy.

"They might not be generous in return," Lucario spoke up. "Humans are very selfish, and all they're concerned about is acquiring more of… well, everything. They'll rob us if we let down our defenses."

"Then we should attack them! Kill them before they kill us!" Charizard roared. That caused an uproar.

"There's a lot of them there, and they have guns," Infernape reminded.

"Not all of us are warriors, and we also have to consider our children. How will they react when they learn their parents are murderers?" Pidgeot pointed out.

"Even if we attack them, several of us are bound to die. We all have families to consider, and we have to think about our future here," Sceptile said. With that, many of them quieted. They didn't know what to do.

"Myu?" Lucario questioned, turning to the Mew who had been silent through all this. "It's your call. Whatever your decision, know that we are always behind you."

Myu looked at the four who had been the most vocal, but also scanned the crowd that surrounded him. One of the things he had become accustomed to during his time as a Mew, was that he was looked up to. It became more extreme when he had saved these people from death, and they worshiped him as if the world revolved around him. As such, he knew he had to make hard choices, always trying to find a middle ground in conflicts like this.

But this choice was harder to make for several reasons. The humans may deserve some mercy, but the memory of the death of their world was forever engrained into the memories of those who witnessed it, and they all blamed humanity for it. Even worse, these humans didn't come across as peaceful, but aggressive and paranoid; not an improvement. He knew he couldn't ignore them either. They would be coming if he didn't do something. But he wasn't going to go send his people off to war with neighbors just because they were invading their territory.

That left only one solution, and Myu hoped it was the right one.

* * *

Almost an hour later, Myu was leading a large group of one hundred adults to Fort Riley. They were marching across the barren landscape outside their home. Many were rightfully wary of treading past the mountains, but Myu assured them that if humans could survive out here, they could too. The land was not as anyone remembered it.

The day after the world had ended, the sky was filled with smoke and ash covered the ground, obscuring anything beneath it. It was clear that twenty years had not been kind to the earth. The ground was now a rusty-brown color, devoid of any plant life or any noticeable features, save the roads that were mostly covered up and the few structures that had survived, though they were more like scraps of metal jutting out of the earth than buildings. The sky was also clear of clouds, but was a sad orange, as if all the happiness had been drained from it.

Myu hadn't reached his decision lightly, and he wasn't sure how many would be comfortable with it, but it seemed to be the only way there would be peace.

* * *

"So, wait. The town is gone?" Harold asked Mike.

"It seems so," the younger man said. "But in its place, there's an oasis that is several miles across. It's got everything we need; food, water, shelter, open space, and blue skies."

"Sounds like paradise," Harold marveled. "Well, then, I guess we'll get packed up and move there."

"Yeah, um…" Mike muttered, getting Harold's attention. "There's one small problem with that."

Before he could say anything, alarms went off and everyone rushed to the entrance.

"What's going on? Are we under attack or something?" Harold wondered. The two men pushed through the crowd, eventually arriving at the entrance. They opened the doors and what they saw took their breath away.

There was a gathering of all sorts of multi-colored animals, all different shapes and sizes, standing outside.

Mike was the only one brave enough to approach them. The animals seemed to be on edge, ready to strike at a moments notice. On one of the animals, a large turtle with a tree growing on its back, perched a familiar-looking blue cat. He locked eyes with it, the creature seeming to measure him up before looking at the crowd inside the bunker.

Myu was assessing the humans as he looked them over. Some were holding guns, which he noticed were pointed at them. Many of them didn't have guns and they all looked surprised. He guessed that this one that approached him had yet to reveal their existence to the other humans. Now it was time to send the message.

" _We are Pokémon,"_ he telepathed, which caused many humans to back away, especially when they realized he was the one producing the voice. _"We know you intend to invade our land. We do not want you there. We do not want to fight you, but we will defend ourselves, if necessary."_ He nodded to Infernape, who walked up to the adult male, laying the backpack the child had dropped at his feet. Myu hoped the humans understood that gesture. _"This is your land,"_ he gestured to their bunker. _"And that is ours,"_ he motioned to where their home was. He then locked eyes with the human again and projected just loud enough for everyone to hear. _"Don't come back."_ With that, he motioned for his kind to leave, returning to their land, where they would stay, and he hoped that the humans would stay where they were, and understand they didn't want them in their home.

Only time would tell.

 **End of Chapter 1**

* * *

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	3. Chapter 2 - No Peace

A World Reborn - No Peace

The crowd of humans were panicking, frightened by the appearance of the animals that had been outside only moments before. They wanted answers, but their leader, Harold, didn't have any. He grabbed a megaphone and talked into it.

"Attention!" he shouted, but only a few paid attention. "Attention!" he shouted even louder, getting the attention of almost the whole crowd. "I know, we thought we were all that was left, but this is a good thing. It means there is a place out there where we can live."

"Those things could kill us!" someone said.

"We won't let that happen. We're going to go where they are in a few days, and you'll see, we'll be just fine."

* * *

A few minutes later, Harold was sitting on a bench in a separate room. Mike walked up to him.

"They'll never let us live with them. You heard what that one said. They want nothing to do with us," Mike said.

"I know," Harold responded. "Which is why I'm going to take any soldiers who are willing, several dozen automatics and kill every one of them."

Mike was shocked to hear that. "We don't have to do that," he said. "Maybe I could negotiate with them. Prevent bloodshed."

Harold looked skeptical. "Negotiate with animals?"

"You saw how many of them there were. They could have slaughtered us if they wanted. They didn't," Mike insisted. "If they have the intelligence to do that, then they can be reasoned with."

Harold contemplated it before making a decision. "Very well, I'll give you a day to reason with them. But after that, I'm sending an army in to kill them when they don't listen."

* * *

A while later, Mike was gathering up his three kids and taking them to the jeep.

"Mike, wait up!" a woman shouted. Mike turned around and saw a woman who was a few years younger than him. She called herself Seema, but that wasn't her real name. "I want to come with you."

"To where?" he asked.

"Where do you think?" she sarcastically asked. "I know you're going to talk to those creatures; what did they call themselves again?"

"Look, it's smarter if I go," Mike shot down. "They know me, so they might be more willing."

"I still want to go see them," Seema insisted.

"If I convince them to let us live with them, then you can see them as much as you want," Mike said. He got in the jeep and started driving away.

An hour later, he was driving through the Pokémon's land. Eventually the terrain became to rough for even the jeep, and had to be parked.

"Alright. Stay here no matter what," Mike told his kids. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He got out and started walking in an almost random direction. He didn't know where these things lived, but he knew they were somewhere. He had been walking for several minutes when he heard a rumble. He looked around, thinking another group of those animals had found him, but saw nothing except more trees. Before long, water started dripping on him, which quickly turned into a downpour.

Realizing it was raining, he ducked under a particularly large leaf to avoid getting wet. He didn't know how long it would rain, but he hoped it wouldn't be to. long. He failed to notice that the leaf wasn't connected to a tree, and was much larger than what it should be. So when it moved on its own accord, letting the rain fall on him, he jumped. He spun and saw a face that vaguely resembled a dinosaur looking at him, a smaller leaf covering it's head and banana-like fruits hanging from the base of its head.

The Tropius growled at him, displeased to see a human among them. He grabbed the biped by the back of its shirt and carried him to the Tree.

* * *

Meanwhile, a Zorua and a Poochyena were playing together in the forest.

"C'mon brother, catch me!" Zorua taunted. Poochyena sprinted as much as he could before he tackled his sister.

"Got you!" he cheered. They shared a laugh before Poochyena saw something. "What's that?" he questioned, pointing a paw at a strange metal object on wheels.

Zorua turned to face the object. "I don't know. Let's go look!" She started walking to it when she noticed her brother wasn't following. "You're not scared, are you?"

"A little," he admitted.

"Don't be a Meowth. Let's go check it out!" she teased, resuming her walk, her brother reluctantly followed behind. When they got to it, they realized it was very big compared to them.

"What is this thing?" Poochyena wondered.

Zorua sniffed it out, and it didn't smell like anything she had smelled. "Not sure." She noticed that there seemed to be some holes in it, and leapt up to try and get in, only to hit an invisible barrier. She fell down, rubbing her now sore head. "What was that?"

"Maybe we should just leave this alone," Poochyena suggested.

As Zorua shook her head, she remembered an old tale her mother told her. A human contraption that could travel great distances without stopping. Unlike her timid brother, she was several years older than most other children. "I think mother told me about something like this once. It's called an auto-mo-wheel. The humans used them to take them great distances."

"If it's human, maybe we should leave it alone," Poochyena said.

"Oh relax, they're all gone. It couldn't hurt to look inside," Zorua said. She leapt into the air, turning into Infernape. Using her new hands, she found the small bar that opened the… door? She thought that's what its called. When she opened the door, there was someone inside, two someone's. A young boy was being held by an older female. Zorua turned back to her true form, startling the pair. "What are you?" she questioned.

"What is that?" the boy questioned.

"I think it's one of those animals," the older female said.

"I'm not an animal, I'm a Pokémon," Zorua protested. She eventually realized that these were humans. When she imagined them, she thought they were several times larger with big muscles. These two didn't look threatening at all.

"Um, hi?" the boy said. "Think it understands us?"

"Yes, I can, and I'm not an 'it', I'm a female," Zorua said. She looked behind her, and saw Poochyena cowering at the sight of the humans. She scoffed at her little brother's cowardice.

"I think it's trying to talk to us," the female said. Zorua was about to say something when it clicked; they can't understand her.

"She looks like a black fox," the female said.

"Think it's friendly?" the boy asked.

"That alligator thing wasn't." Zorua turned her head and saw an older boy, pointing something metallic at her. She ignored it as it didn't look threatening. She walked closer to the boy, who stretched a hand out to her.

When she was close enough, he placed his hand on her head and started rubbing. She let out a small whine of contentment, liking the feeling. He kept petting her, until she got so relaxed she laid on her side, and moved his hand to rub her belly.

"This feels so nice," she sighed. Poochyena jumped up to see his sister being rubbed by the boy. Seeing her happy face, he started getting closer.

The moment was brought to an abrupt end when something rammed the side of the jeep, shaking it. Judas looked out his window and saw a larger version of the black fox with arms attacking the side. He tried to shoot it, but it broke the window and ripped the gun from his hands. A growl from the other side drew their attention, and saw a larger version of the dog standing there, barring it's teeth.

* * *

Mike was being carried through the trees to a large tree-shaped mountain. He was taken inside and dropped in front of a blue jackal-like creature with spikes. He heard more noises around him and saw more of the strange creatures, a monkey-like one with fire for hair walking up. He turned his attention back to the jackal, wondering what was going to happen to him.

" _You were told to not come back,"_ the jackal said telepathically.

"I know," Mike said. "But I had to come to talk to you."

" _There is nothing you could say to us that we would tolerate your presence for long,"_ the jackal said.

"Mr. Jackal…"

" _My name is Lucario."_

"Okay, Lucario," Mike began. "Please listen. We need your help. We're running out of food and were hoping we could live here somewhere."

There were many shouts from the creatures around, and they didn't sound pleasant. Lucario let out a shout, and they quieted. _"For several reasons, we do not trust your kind,"_ Lucario said.

"Please, we need help. If you don't, an army will come and wipe you all out," Mike begged. There were more roars and shouts, which Lucario silenced with another shout.

" _We do not fear your kind, either,"_ Lucario said. _"We can protect ourselves."_

There were roars and shouts, and Mike turned to see his kids being led by two canine-looking creatures, one walking on two feet, the other on all fours. The black biped shoved the older boy to the ground before walking up to Lucario.

"Zoro," it said. It then proceeded to talk to Lucario in a similar way, the words coming in twists of Zoroark, with Lucario only offering grunts in response. Then Zoroark pulled out something from behind it; a gun. The reveal caused an uproar among the creatures. They clearly hated the weapon.

Lucario took the weapon before walking up to Mike. _"You would have the audacity to plead for mercy while carrying this?"_ he questioned. He tossed the weapon away, where Charizard stomped on it. _"Why should we allow you here when your single instinct is killing?"_

"Please, at least give us a chance," Mike begged. "We'll die without your help."

A green lizard with plant characteristics walked up to Lucario and talked to him, the words coming out in variations of 'Sceptile'. Lucario and Sceptile talked back and forth for a while, Sceptile's speech being rather gentle, while she repeatedly pointed to a tunnel that lead further up into the tree. Eventually their discussion came to an end.

" _Wait here,"_ Lucario said to Mike and the humans before walking into the tunnel, but not before letting off a series of growls, seeming to issue orders to the others.

* * *

Lucario walked through the network of tunnels before coming to Myu's hollow. He found the Mew gently stroking his daughter's long antenna, winding them together in an attempt to make a ponytail.

"Myu," Lucario spoke. The blue Mew turned to face him.

"Lucario, what is it?" Myu asked, not stopping his braiding.

"A few humans showed up and were brought here," Lucario bluntly said. Myu looked shocked to hear that. "The eldest of them said that they need to live here, despite you telling them they're not allowed here."

Myu stopped what he was doing and flew up to meet Lucario's eyes. "Have they explained why they need to come here?"

"They said they were running out of food and he has also warned that if we don't let them live here, they will send an army to kill us," Lucario explained.

Myu pondered on this before speaking up. "Why have you come here if this is the problem?"

"Because Sceptile thinks we should let them live amongst us," Lucario answered. "She thinks if we show them mercy and let them learn your teachings then maybe we could live together."

Myu thought over this, weighing the possible consequences of either choice before reaching a decision. "Tell them that our stance doesn't change. They must remain where they are and tell them that they will find their ability to defeat us in battle impossible."

Lucario was surprised, but nonetheless left to relay the message.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Humans waited for Lucario to come back. As they did, the Pokémon discussed amongst themselves what Myu's choice could be and the appearance of the Humans, as well as the power they possessed.

Lucario did return after several minutes, walking up to the Humans. Everyone waited with baited breath for Lucario to relay Myu's answer.

" _Myu has decided that our original stance will remain unchanged. He also warns that attacking us is a bad idea,"_ Lucario telepathically relayed.

Mike was stunned to hear that and tried one last time to convince them. "Please, we don't want to hurt you, but our people are desperate enough that they will kill you."

" _Myu's decision is final, and I cannot change his mind,"_ Lucario told them. _"Now leave, and once again, don't come back."_

Mike got up and motioned for his kids to do the same. Lucario told the others to let them go. Mike and his family eventually got back to their jeep after some help from Zoroark and drove off.

* * *

Sceptile wasn't going to let this matter rest though and went to talk to Myu herself. She arrived at his hollow and managed to find the Mew.

"Sceptile, what are you doing here?" he asked. It was rare for any Pokémon other than Lucario to come without being summoned.

"I'm here to object to your decision regarding the Humans," she said. "I do believe that we can achieve peace with them if we try."

Myu shook his head before speaking. "Sceptile, while I admire your compassion for them, I'm afraid that living peacefully with them isn't as simple as you think," he said.

Sceptile knelt down so she was more level with Myu. "Myu, you know I'm grateful to you for saving me from more than the radiation, and I cannot thank you enough for giving me this family after I had lost mine. I wasn't very old when it happened, but I can still remember my family before they were crushed by our house," she said. "But I cannot remain silent concerning your decision to turn a blind eye to the human's plight."

Myu chuckled slightly. "Where did you learn vocabulary like that?"

"It doesn't matter. What does matter is why you choose to remain indifferent to the Humans," she said.

"Sceptile, while we can sustain the Humans, the fact is we cannot risk letting them corrupt us," Myu explained. When he saw Sceptile's confused face, he elaborated. "We are at a critical point in our species history. We have produced an entire generation of offspring and have spent years teaching each other the ways of peace. If we let things continue as they are now, then this generation will teach their own children what their parents have taught them, while also planting in them the necessary wariness to fight more… aggressive instincts."

Sceptile nodded her head to show she was following before he continued. "But if we risk letting that many humans mingle with our young, then they will inadvertently spread their bloodlust to our children, corrupting them and all the children they may have in the process. I have spent the last twenty years trying to stomp out that seed in as many of you as I can, and it has worked for most, but already that seed is threating to sprout again. And with the humans around, make no mistake, it will sprout, strangling us and all our progeny for generations, until history inevitably repeats itself."

Sceptile was taken aback, having never thought about it like that before. "I had to watch my whole world get destroyed once, I don't want to see it happen again," Myu finished, a somber tone in his voice.

"But the Humans; they will act on their threat," Sceptile warned.

"Yes, and I have taken that into consideration." Myu flew up. "I must leave now. I'll be back within the hour." With that, he flew out.

Sceptile returned to the base of the tree, still overwhelmed by Myu's logic.

* * *

"Let me guess; they didn't agree."

Mike sighed as Harold guessed it right away. "They don't want us anywhere near them," Mike added.

"Well, since negotiating has obviously failed, that leaves only one option left," Harold said, pulling out a gun and cocking it.

"I still don't think this is a good idea. We could learn from them," Mike insisted.

"We can't learn anything from animals," Harold countered, walking off.

Mike sighed, not sure how this could be any worse. He got his answer when Seema walked up.

"What does Harold think he's doing?" she demanded.

"He's going to take anyone he can spare and massacre them," Mike answered.

"He can't do that! They could be the future of this planet!" Seema almost shouted.

"Look, I want to live with them too, but they've made it very clear, they don't want us around."

"I wouldn't be surprised. If I were an ordinary animal and I one day turned into that, I'd be mad at the culprit too." Seema turned around to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mike asked.

"To go talk to them and knock some sense in them," Seema answered.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Mike warned. "You could get killed in the crossfire."

"I'm confident I could get to their home by myself before an army could," Seema confidently stated.

"Well, okay, but don't take a gun with you. They hate them," Mike advised.

"Wasn't planning on taking one anyway." Seema knew sneaking out wouldn't be a problem. Harold was rounding up every trained personnel and was drawing all their attention as a result. She easily slipped past patrols to make it to the exit and walked out, seeing no reason to hurry.

* * *

An hour later, Harold managed to round up fifty people to march to the Pokémon's land. Now they were at the base of the mountains, ready to begin the invasion. As they marched, he spotted something moving on the mountains, flying through one of the many valleys.

It was small, blue and very fast. A closer look revealed that it was a flying kitten. Harold wasn't sure how it was flying as it didn't have any wings, but he supposed it wouldn't matter in a minute.

Myu was flying the perimeter of the mountains, finishing up his defense against the humans when he heard several footsteps walking up. He turned and saw Lucario, Charizard, Infernape and Pikachu walking up.

"What is it, my children?" he asked them.

"Myu," Lucario began. "Some of us, including me, think that your pacifism to the human threat isn't in our best interest. They will come for us and it will be in great force."

"I understand your fear, but there is nothing to worry. The humans will never come here now, as you are about to see," Myu assure, gesturing to down the mountain.

Lucario looked and he saw spots of green clumsily moving up the mountain. He soon realized that they were humans.

"Shoot them," Harold ordered, realizing they were discovered. A soldier raised his rifle, aiming it at Lucario, and fired.

Lucario jumped when he heard the shot, but what truly knocked him down was the air rippling right in front of him. Many of the other Pokémon watched with shocked expressions as Lucario was unharmed, more ripples appearing in the same place.

Harold was stunned when he saw the Pokémon were still standing. How could they have survived? He decided to try it himself when he fired at the blue cat, only for his shot to ricochet off an invisible barrier.

Myu flew up and stretched out a paw, gently placing it on the same invisible force, a visible blue glow emanating from the contact.

"This is our defense from the humans," Myu stated. "Nothing they have can breach it, and so long as we stay behind the barrier, we will be safe."

Lucario was in awe, placing a paw on the barrier, feeling the psychic power emanating from it. "Wow," was all he could say, his already great admiration for the Mew skyrocketing.

The humans fired several more rounds, but nothing broke it, no matter how close they got or how much they shot one spot. Harold tried smashing it with his gun, but even that did no good and he only ended up denting the weapon. One of the soldiers picked up the flattened bullets, amazed that nothing they did even made a dent in the barrier. Harold, in a fit of rage, punched it, but not even that did any good and only ended up hurting his hand. He cradled his hand, as it felt like he had punched a steel wall.

Myu smirked and gestured for he and the others to leave. They easily climbed down the other side of the mountains, ending up in a forest.

"So, we're safe so long as we're here?" Lucario asked to clarify.

"Yes," Myu answered. "I must also remain here, for if I were to leave, the barrier would fall."

"Then I guess we don't have to worry about Humans anymore," Charizard said, before a noise and a yelp to their right caught their attention.

Seema stood up, brushing off her already ruined clothes. "Gee Mike, it would have been great to know in advance that there were insanely tall mountains all around this place," she complained to no one in particular. "Where could these mountains even have come from in the first place? Although it did make finding this place rather easy." She chuckled to herself as she remembered wandering through the wastes, with no idea what to look for or where to go other than the direction that blue cat had pointed. She was glad the mountains were easy to spot.

"Alright, now where are those things?" she asked out loud before coming across a small blue cat that was hovering right in front of her. She turned around and saw a monkey with fire for hair, a blue dog walking on its hind legs with spikes on its chest and back of its forepaws, an orange dragon, and a small yellow rat with red cheeks surrounding her. "Um, hi?"

 **End of Chapter 2**

* * *

 **Read and Review**


	4. Chapter 3 - Olive Branch

A World Reborn - Olive Branch

Seema was led through a forest that seemed to have no end by Myu, Lucario, Charizard, Infernape and Pikachu. Eventually, they came to a towering mountain that resembled a tree. She marveled that such a thing was possible when she heard several noises coming from in it. When they got inside, the area she saw was large, but seemed to encompass only a small part of the tree as a whole. The noises she saw came from several different creatures, and they didn't seem to be happy to see her.

They stopped in the middle of this space and Myu turned around to face her.

" _How did you get in here?"_ Myu questioned. She knew he was telepathic, so she was ready for the voice in her head.

"I went over the mountains," she answered. "Which, by the way, are really tall."

Several noises came from Lucario, which Myu understood. _"How could you have done that? I placed a barrier around them to keep your kind from getting in."_

"Oh, well, it took me a while to get up and over them. I didn't want to fall down the slopes to my death," Seema answered.

Myu decided to move on. _"Why are you here?"_

"To ask one last time on behalf of my people, if you will help us," Seema said. "And I won't leave until you say 'yes'," she added. Nearly every Pokémon there laughed.

" _My decision regarding your kind is final, and I will not be swayed by your presence,"_ Myu said. _"And your ability to leave is impaired regardless. I will not lower the barrier for even one second so long as the humans are out there. So, for now, you will have no choice but to stay here."_

Several Pokémon shouted out. Seema got the impression that they didn't like that. Myu raised a paw and they silenced. _"You shall sleep with me, higher in the tree."_

"Okay," Seema said seeing no reason to argue.

Lucario walked up to Myu. "Are you really gonna let a human sleep in the same area as you?" he asked in his language, which Seema couldn't understand.

"The human is unarmed, and I can't trust anyone to not try anything," the blue Mew answered. He flew up to the human and gestured for her to follow as he flew into the tunnels.

* * *

Harold walked back to Fort Riley, his forces in tow, their mission a failure. They had tried for an hour to break the invisible barrier, using everything from fists to machine guns to rocket launchers. Nothing made even a dent.

Harold was greeted by Mike, who was nervous. "So, did you finish your massacre?" he asked.

"Couldn't get to them," Harold answered. "Some invisible barrier kept us, and our weapons, outside the mountains." Harold could tell Mike was hiding something. "What's going on?"

"Um, Seema went to try and negotiate with them one last time," Mike answered.

"What was she thinking?" Harold demanded.

"She thinks we don't have to kill them, and we can live with them," Mike said.

"Well, we're going to find an alternate way in. I'll have men patrol the mountains, look for any possible means to get in there."

* * *

Myu led Seema up through the tunnels, taking her to his hollow in the mountain.

" _You may rest safely here. No one enters this place without my knowledge,"_ Myu told her.

"That's nice," she said, unsure how else she could respond. She walked over to a patch of soft looking grass and wondered if she really was going to sleep on dirt. Myu noticed how uncomfortable she looked.

" _There is nothing to fear from sleeping on the ground. I keep my place sufficiently clean,"_ he told her.

"It's not just that. I was kinda hoping to sleep on something softer. I've been sleeping in hammocks for years," she said. She noticed a spot that was just big enough for her, situated between two trees leaning against each other. "Maybe there, it looks comfortable." She started walking to it when Myu flew in front of her.

" _That is my spot,"_ he said plainly.

"It seems like a lot of space for your size," she commented.

" _I like the space. It affords me to sleep in various ways and places. If you need a comfortable bed to rest, I can make one for you."_ He flew over to a spot on the ground and placed a single paw down. Seema was going to ask how he could make that for her, when the ground started to glow. A few minutes later, a moss bed big enough for her was created.

She walked over and placed her hands on it, amazed at how soft it was. "How did you do that?" she asked.

" _I have many abilities,"_ he answered.

She realized that he wasn't going to provide any more explanation than that and decided to look around instead. She first noticed the crystals that seemed to be growing everywhere. She walked over to one to inspect it. "What are these? I've never seen crystals like these before," she asked.

" _They are a part of the tree. I use them to watch my children below,"_ Myu answered.

"Your children? But they look nothing like you," Seema pointed, confused.

" _I created our race from the ashes of yours. I am the father of all Pokémon, for I was the first,"_ Myu answered.

"How could you do that? And where did you come from?" Seema asked, reaching to touch one of the crystals. Myu was about to tell her it was forbidden to touch them, but her hand grasped one of the crystals.

Immediately, the crystal lit up, and Seema felt an overwhelming presence invade her mind. Images flashed before her eyes, some of them she realized were of her when she was younger, but a boy she recognized was also present in them.

She realized it was an old friend of hers, someone she hadn't seen in years. Many images of her and the boy together appeared, but soon it was of their separate lives. She saw him grow up alone, with only his family around and for a second, she felt sorry that she hadn't tried to talk to him more after she went to college.

However, what happened next took her breath away.

One night, in a dream, a large white figure appeared before him. At first, she though maybe it was God, but she saw it had four legs, no arms, and a golden wheel around its midsection that looked like a religious symbol. It seemed to be asking something, even though it had no mouth to speak. It then touched the boy with one of its long front legs and a glow encompassed them both. The next morning, what got out of the bed wasn't the same boy but was definitely familiar. It was small, had blue fur, was vaguely feline, and a long tail with a bulbous tip.

It was Myu.

She let go of the crystal and the images stopped. She turned to face the creature hovering behind her, who seemed to be in a similar state of shock as her.

Indeed, he was. He and the Tree were linked, so when she touched the crystal she had seen his memories and he saw hers. He knew she had seemed familiar when he first saw her, but that was a different life, so he had buried that knowledge. Now he knew for certain. This was his childhood friend, the closest companion he had outside his family, though her real name escaped him.

She likewise couldn't place his own name, just the face she connected to someone she had known for almost her whole life. She eventually found the strength to stand, still too stunned to say anything.

Myu was the first to find his tongue. "I… I don't believe it," he breathed, forgetting she couldn't understand him _"You're… an old friend of mine."_

"Yeah, it seems like it," she breathed out. "I uh… don't think I need to ask how you became… this," she said, gesturing to his fur.

Myu sighed, unsure what to say next. Long forgotten memories bubbled beneath the surface, feelings he had long since repressed stirred, and for the first time in a long time, he found himself at a loss. He had lost most of his feelings of friendship for her when he heard she had been planning to leave without telling him, so he severed contact with her, and had been too bitter and too young to even attempt reaching out.

But he had learned to forgive and forget, as it was better than holding onto hate and he had never been a spiteful person to begin with. _"You know, I originally envisioned this 'reunion' being a little more hateful. I wanted to be cold to you for forgetting me. But I've learned not to hold onto anger and forgive."_

Seema was stung when he said 'forgotten' but was relieved when he said he didn't hold onto anger. If it was her, she would probably hate the person for life. "Thanks, and I didn't mean to. I just got so busy and had too many friends I couldn't keep up."

Myu chuckled. _"If you were one of my children, I would lecture you on trying to make time to do both, or balance work with friendship. But you are not a Pokémon, so I will say nothing."_ They remained in silence for a moment before Myu spoke up again. _"But I will ask what you have been doing for the past…"_ He tried to count the years in his head before giving up. _"You know what, how about we start with what happened since we last saw each other and go from there. You were a good friend, and I would like to try to be friends again, if you are willing."_

Seema smiled at the prospect of mending bridges and nodded. "I'd like that. Now, where to start…"

* * *

The two old friends talked for the rest of the day, until Seema grew to tired to continue. She laid down on the bed Myu gave her and fell asleep.

Myu didn't follow right away, too excited from today's events to sleep just yet. So, he decided to take a flight around the Tree and ponder on what to do to waste the built-up energy.

He was excited that he got to meet an old friend again and was glad it was Seema. He felt a little embarrassed that he couldn't remember her real name, but he supposed it didn't really matter considering he didn't use his. He wanted her to stay, rather than force her to leave.

But that was a problem, as she was human and beyond the age where she could learn again. He supposed he could turn her into a Pokémon and wipe her memories, so she would have to learn, but that would violate his code of forceful transformations without selfless reason. So human she would remain, and somehow, she would have to adapt to their way of life and being an outsider.

For the second time that day, Myu pondered the possibility of letting the humans live amongst his children, but the reasons he gave Sceptile why it wasn't possible presented themselves again. But then his thoughts turned to Seema, who was the second human who attempted peace and suddenly, he found himself wondering if humans had changed or could be capable of change.

If they did, he could let the humans co-exist with his kind without the threat of corruption, and Seema would be part of that. He decided that humans deserved a second chance and he would address it in the morning. He flew back to the Tree and into his hollow, curling up to sleep, Seema's light snores lulling him to sleep.

* * *

Seema woke up the next morning, and for a moment was puzzled by the overabundance of green. Then the memories of what happened yesterday filtered back in and she sighed happily. She sat and looked around, trying to find Myu. But all she found was a small pile of berries next to her. She picked up a pink heart-shaped berry and ate it and was greeted by an explosion of sweet flavor. She savored the taste, used to the dry food packets they had been eating for years.

After she swallowed it, she started eating the others, savoring each one. Some were spicy, others were sweet, some were bitter, and others were sour, but she enjoyed them, except for the dry ones, as they reminded her of the food packets.

Myu showed up after she had finished most of the berries. _"Someone was hungry,"_ he said when he noticed the pile of berries was almost gone, many of their colorful remains on her face.

"Yeah, they were really good. I forgot how much flavor improved food," Seema said after she was finished chewing. She felt sticky though and needed a place to wash off. There was a waterfall that looked like it could work. She started to undress before remembering that Myu was right behind her. "Um, I need to clean off. Could I use the waterfall for a shower?" she asked.

" _Sure, I have no problem with it,"_ he answered.

"Good. Also, could you go somewhere else while I wash off?" she asked.

" _Why?"_

"Um, because I have to undress," she stated. She saw him motion to elaborate. "Myu, I'm going to be naked." Myu still looked puzzled. "Oh, come on, you know its impolite to look at a naked girl!"

" _You do realize that I'm technically naked, right, along with everyone else here?"_ Myu asked.

"I don't care! Just don't look at me!" she said abashedly. Myu shrugged before turning around. She proceeded to take off her ripped clothing, discarding it by the stream before walking under the flowing water. She saw there was a clay container with shampoo inside, along with a bar of soap, and used those.

She didn't see Myu take the clothes with his psychic abilities, who saw that the clothes were in bad shape, and wasn't going to allow such smelly and dirty things to contaminate his hollow. He flew off to have them repaired and cleaned.

Seema eventually finished her bath, feeling cleaner than she had in years. Her dirty hair was blonde once more, and her skin was cleaner than it had been in years. She reached for her clothes, but they were missing, as was Myu. _Where did he go?_ She wondered to herself. A few minutes later, Myu came flying, carrying her clothes. She submerged herself in the water as fast as she could, but it would only go up her waist. She covered her breasts with her arms as Myu got closer.

"Where did you go? And why did you take my clothes?" she asked, anger in her voice.

" _I thought you might like them restored and cleaned,"_ Myu answered, levitating the clothes to her.

She took them and prepared to put them on but realized Myu was still there. "Look away, please." He shrugged before turning around. Once fully dressed, she told Myu he could look at her again. She had to admit that whoever fixed these did a really good job. "So, what's going on today?" she asked.

" _I actually have something I need to tell everyone, but first, I need to give you something,"_ Myu said. He pulled out a small crystal and handed it to her.

"What's this?" she asked.

" _It's a crystal fragment from the Tree. You can use this to go anywhere in my world,"_ he told her. _"It's also a way for you to see me again. Show this to any of my children, and you will be taken to me."_

"Wow, thanks," she said. "So, what are you going to tell everyone?"

" _You'll see for yourself,"_ he told her, flying away. He gestured for her to follow.

* * *

They reached the base of the Tree and Seema saw that several Pokémon were present. Myu told her to stay next to him. They were standing on a ledge that overlooked the ground below.

" _Greetings, everyone, and good morning. I have an announcement to make,"_ Myu telepathically told everyone, making sure Seema could understand. _"As you all know, humans are still out there, and they have tried to take this place by force, but a barrier I placed around the mountains keeps them out. However, despite my demands, twice now they have come here to plead for mercy. This has led me to believe that perhaps they are capable of change."_ This caused many Pokémon to talk amongst themselves, but Seema couldn't understand a thing they said. _"So, I have decided to give the humans a second chance and offer them aid."_ Several Pokémon didn't like that, as they started shouting all sorts of things.

" _Calm yourselves,"_ Myu told them. _"This wasn't an easy decision to make, but I believe it is in our best interest to try to make peace with them. So, I plan to extend an olive branch to them in peace. This will include a small portion of our crops to show our sincerity, and will be delivered by Seema and one other,"_ he announced, placing a paw on the girl's shoulder. _"This one other will be one of you. I need a volunteer."_ No one seemed to be willing. This disheartened Myu, he had hoped that someone would be willing to do this.

"Sceptile." Seema saw the green lizard walk up, a clawed hand in the air.

" _Thank you Sceptile,"_ Myu said, who was pleased that one was willing. _"That is all for now."_

* * *

A while later, Seema and Sceptile, with packs filled with berries, were teleported to the mountains, Myu and a Sandslash next to them. Myu had tasked him with creating a tunnel through the mountains so they could leave.

"Thanks for agreeing to come along, Sceptile," Seema said to the green lizard.

"Sceptile," she said with a smile, which Seema took as 'you're welcome'.

" _Until next time,"_ Myu said to Seema.

"Bye, Myu, it was nice seeing you again," Seema returned. Myu gestured for Sandslash to begin. He started clawing through the dirt in the mountain, moving at a fast pace. Seema and Sceptile followed him in. A while later, they were climbing out the other side of the tunnel. Sceptile and Sandslash had a brief exchange before he walked into the tunnel, disappearing a while later. The duo continued on through the wastes, making their way to Fort Riley.

* * *

Myu returned to the tree with Sandslash.

"Myu, we need to talk." Myu turned to see Lucario walking up to him, a crowd of Pokémon behind them.

"What is it?" Myu asked with his voice.

"It's about your change of mind regarding the humans," Lucario said. "Many of us don't think you're making the best decision regarding them. We all know how ignorant humans can be." Several Pokémon agreed with nods and words.

"Twice now they've attempted to peacefully ask for help," Myu said. "That can't be dismissed."

"Still, Myu, we don't see how making peace with them is the best thing," Lucario said.

"I have my reasons, but you can't see them," Myu observed.

"Then help us to understand," Lucario begged.

"You will understand if you can answer this simple question," Myu began.

"Another lesson? I thought we had learned everything we could," Charizard complained.

"There is always room to grow," Myu said. "Now answer this; what is the best way to defeat an enemy?"

"That's easy," Infernape said cockily. "With your fists!"

"A flamethrower!" Charizard bellowed

"An aura sphere," Lucario stated.

"With flight?" Pidgeot offered.

Myu sighed as he shook his head. "You have a long way to go, and I will answer no other questions or explain my reasons until you answer mine. Now, I will be in my hollow," he said before flying away, leaving the crowd of Pokémon confused.

* * *

Mike was getting his kids quieted down as night approached, still hurt that Harold refused to see reason. This continued until an alarm sounded, and he rushed to the gate. Outside stood Seema and a green lizard, both of them carrying bags.

"Seema, how did it go, and why is that here?" Mike asked, gesturing to the lizard.

"'It' is a 'she' and she goes by Sceptile," Seema answered. "And it went relatively well, take a look." She opened the bag, revealing that it was filled with an assortment of berries. "Pass these around, we both have some." Mike took a couple of blue berries and was amazed at the flavor that came from them.

"They gave us these?" he asked.

"Yes, and I also need to talk to everyone, Myu has a message to give."

* * *

A while later, everyone was gathered to listen to Seema. "Everyone, the Pokémon are willing to give us a chance to coexist. While they won't let us live with them, they are willing to give us a portion of their berry crops. All they ask is that we take to heart the same lessons they teach themselves. If we prove to be kind enough, they will let us live with them."

Everyone was amazed to hear that, and wondered what they would have to learn, but many of them were willing to learn if it meant living anywhere but here.

"To demonstrate their good intentions, they have given us enough berries for us to eat today. The first lesson we must learn is generosity. If you see someone in more need of food than you, then you are to give them what you can," Seema announced before she came down. Sceptile gave her her best thumbs up to congratulate her. "Thanks. Hope they understood Myu's intentions."

* * *

At the Tree, the Pokémon were discussing amongst themselves what the answer to Myu's question was.

"The best way to defeat an enemy? What could that be?" Infernape wondered.

"It can't be that hard," Pikachu said. "Lucario, you've spent a lot of time with Myu, he give you a hint?"

"Not that I'm aware, but I suspect that Myu isn't going to answer anything until we give our own answer," Lucario said.

"That worries me," Charizard said. "Sceptile is in the worst place for any Pokémon to be. I hope she will be alright."

* * *

Seema was showing Sceptile around, showing off all the places in the bunker. "And this is our medical room. We try to help people as best as we can," Seema showed Sceptile the room, and they saw that an army doctor was treating a kid. Curious, Sceptile walked up to the boy.

"Scep-tile tile Scep?" she asked, though no one understood her.

"Hey, get away from the patient," the doctor said.

"It's okay, she just wants to know what's wrong with him," Seema said.

"Well, I'm not certain, but it seems he has cancer," the doctor said.

Sceptile was shocked to hear that.

"Will he be alright?" Seema asked for her.

"I don't think so. He seems to have a tumor near his heart, and we don't have any means of curing him," the doctor answered.

Sceptile was saddened to hear that. She looked at the boy and decided to help him. She placed her clawed hand on his chest and focused. She started to glow green, which spread to the boy, and where she stood, plants seemed to sprout. Seema and the doctor were startled to see this. Before it went on too long, the glow stopped, and the plants vanished. Sceptile cradled the boy's head, and he woke up. The doctor rushed over to see what happened to him.

"What was that, what did you do?" Seema asked, even though she already knew the answer was going to be 'Sceptile' or something like it. However, Sceptile instead pointed to the boy's heart, and made a slashing motion. Seema didn't understand at first, but something started to click in her mind. "You cured him?" she questioned, which Sceptile responded with a nod.

A while later, they were continuing to walk through he halls, Seema still too stunned by what she had seen to say anything else. Their walk was cut short when Harold came up with several men.

"Harold, what is it?" Seema asked.

"I'm arresting this lizard," he said. "Take it away for interrogation." Men started to walk up when Seema got in the way.

"Arresting her, on what charges?" she questioned.

"She's the enemy, that's enough," Harold answered.

"She's not an enemy, she's helping us. They all are. We don't have to fight them," Seema said.

"Animals aren't helpful," Harold said. "Now stand aside or I'll arrest you too."

Sceptile wasn't about to be handled by humans, so she used her superior speed to run away. "Stop it!" Harold shouted. One of his men pulled out a gun and tried to shoot her, but Seema shoved him, causing him to miss.

"Don't! They're trying to help up!" she insisted. Harold didn't seem to listen and ran to pursue Sceptile. He chased her through the halls until she ran into the cafeteria. People ran out of her way, puzzled by her appearance.

Sceptile wasn't sure what to do, but she knew the human wouldn't risk hurting other humans, so she had to find a crowd to hide in. She kept running, eventually coming to a stop as she tried to figure out which way to go next.

But her stop gave Harold enough time to aim his gun at her. Seema ran in and shouted for him to stop, running to him in an attempt to stop him. Her shout caught Sceptile's attention and she turned around to face her.

BANG!

* * *

Myu's head shot up as he felt something. Something that filled him with dread.

* * *

Sceptile was frozen as she felt a sensation she had never felt before. She looked down and saw a hole in her chest, red liquid flowing out.

 _I've been shot._ She realized. Slowly, she started to fall backwards as her legs gave out, but she was caught by Seema before she hit the ground.

"Hang on, Sceptile, you'll be alright," Seema told the green lizard. She grabbed a napkin and placed it on Sceptile's injury. "Get a doctor," Seema shouted to everyone. "You'll be alright Sceptile, you'll see," she said, even though, in her heart, she knew the opposite. Tears started to form as she realized that their chances of peace were dying. Sceptile reached up and pulled Seema's head next to hers. With her final breath, she whispered something, using all her strength to utter out two human words.

"No… hate…" She let out a deep sigh and went limp.

Seema placed a hand on the lizard's neck to feel for a pulse but found none. "No!" she screamed, punching the ground. A gesture that was echoed by Myu, who's psychic powers caused the water in his hollow to explode.

Seema turned on Harold, mad beyond belief. "What did you do?" she said accusingly.

"Prevented an enemy agent from escaping," Harold said.

"She wasn't an enemy, she came on behalf of her people, offering peace. I managed to convince them to help us. But now because of this, they will never forgive us," she said, her voice filled with hate.

A couple of men came up and Harold told them to move the body, but it was gone. Seema had an idea what happened to it. She saw how powerful Myu was, and knew he was responsible for her disappearance.

She walked away, hating Harold for what he did. Now she understood why the Pokémon hated humans and couldn't disagree with them. She knew she couldn't stay with them and made the decision to leave this place.

* * *

Back at the tree, everyone gathered around Sceptile's dead body. Charizard pushed through the crowd to get a look at her, and fell to his knees when he saw her corpse.

"No! That's my mate, that's my mate!" he screamed when he saw her. He picked her up and saw the bloody hole in her chest. Hesitant to desecrate her body, he picked around in the hole until he pulled out a small metal object. He held it in the air and screamed, "HUMAN BULLET!" This caused several Pokémon to shout, roar and scream in anger. "HUMANS KILLED SCEPTILE! MYU OFFERED THEM PEACE, AND THEY MURDERED ONE OF US!"

High above, Myu watched as the Pokémon cried for revenge. He normally wouldn't let his emotions get the best of him, but he couldn't stop a single tear from flowing down his cheek. He was saddened to see this happen, and concluded that humans would never change.

It seemed that there would never be peace, and it broke his heart. Now it was time to consider destroying the human race.

 **End of Chapter 3**

* * *

 **Read and Review**


	5. Chapter 4 - One Last Chance

A World Reborn - One Last Chance

The Pokémon were gathered around Sceptile's pyre, saddened by this loss. Though the adults were accustomed to death, this was the first time any of the kids saw it. They gathered several branches and arranged them in a bed with a spiral base for Sceptile to lay on. The Pokémon circled the pyre, waiting for the actual cremation to begin.

Myu came up with a large branch in one paw. He held it out to Charizard, who let out a small flame to ignite the torch, his two children, Charmander and Treecko, at his feet.

"Death is a natural part of life," Myu began. He tried to sound as if he had rehearsed this but was actually making it up as he went. "We all try to fight against it, but inevitably, it finds us one day. Today we lost one of our own to death, and while tragic, it should by no means be a sad occasion." He paused under the pretense that he was letting everyone absorb his words but he was actually trying to figure out what to say next. When the words came, he continued. "While Sceptile's body is dead, her soul will continue on, and her memory will survive in us, who knew her best. In another life, Sceptile was a victim of cancer, a deadly disease that would have ended her, but I gave her a new life and ended that threat. None of us expected to say goodbye to her today, but we will celebrate her life, and rejoice that she is now in a happier place." Another pause, and Myu focused on Sceptile's body. "We burn your body, so your soul can go to the next world. May you find happiness in the endless plains and know no sorrow as you rest in peace." Another pause, and Myu addressed the crowd once again. "From dust she came, to dust she will return. We continue the cycle of life and death and remain confident that one day we will see her again when our time comes. Until that day…" he touched the torch to the spiral, lighting it and setting the pyre ablaze, "As above, so below. In Archeus we trust."

"We trust," the other Pokémon echoed. They looked on as the pyre burned, and Sceptile's body with it.

"She didn't have to die," Lucario spoke up. "The humans must pay for what they've done."

"And they will," Myu said calmly. "I want you to gather Charizard, Pidgeot, Infernape and Pikachu and bring them to my hollow later today," he instructed Lucario.

* * *

Later that day, the five Pokémon were standing in Myu's home. The Mew was staring into the stream of water that went through his hollow.

"Why are we here Myu? What do you need from us?" Pikachu asked.

"I've been thinking about it for some time, and I realize that humans will never change. It's best if their race is gone for good," Myu said, never once taking his gaze off the flowing water.

"So, when do we attack?" Charizard asked, punching one clawed fist into his hand.

"We do not. I will not approve of any action that results in bloodshed," Myu stated, shocking everyone present. "I have found an alternate method, and you five are ideal for this task."

"Which is what?" Pidgeot asked.

Myu turned away from the stream to face them. "You five will go out and gather materials to build a powerful talisman. Once it is finished, it can be used to destroy the humans."

"So, you need us to get some things from around the forest?" Charizard questioned. "Why not ask everyone to help?"

"These materials are not in the forest, Charizard," Myu answered. "They are much further away."

Lucario thought it through in his head before realization struck. "You mean, _outside_ outside? As in past the mountains outside?"

Myu answered with a nod.

"But I thought it was dangerous to be out there for too long?" Pikachu questioned.

"With the proper supplies, it can be safe." Myu stretched his arm out and a bag made of leaves flew to him. "In this bag is a type of moss that absorbs radiation. Eat it every day, and you will be safe." The Pokémon looked disgusted at the prospect of eating that. "It's the only type of plant that can be safely digested to protect you from the radiation. I've sorted it out into portions for each of you. Take one portion a day. There should be enough for your whole trip, but if you start to run low, return immediately and I will provide you with more. There are also enough berries in here to feed you and packets of water to keep you hydrated." He handed the bag to Lucario, as it was tailored specifically for him.

"How will we know what to get?" Lucario asked.

Myu held up a crystal fragment suspended by a string. "This crystal will be your guide. It will glow when you point it in the direction of the necessary object. The closer you are, the brighter it will glow." He placed it around Lucario's neck. "You are key to this. Your powers will allow you to forge the materials into the talisman."

"I will not fail you, Myu," Lucario assured.

"I know," Myu said.

"Well then, I guess Pidgeot and I are transportation," Charizard said. "Get on, Lucario. Pidgeot will carry Infernape and Pikachu."

The three land-based Pokémon hopped onto the backs of the two flyers and took off.

"Safe travels," Myu wished. "And be wary. Radiation is the least of the dangers out there."

* * *

Charizard and Pidgeot flew their passengers away from the Tree, heading for the mountains that surrounded their land.

"You're sure we can just pass through?" Charizard asked, the blue sky beginning to turn orange and the desolate landscape now visible.

"Myu said his barrier is for the humans and their weapons only. It doesn't keep us from passing through," Lucario answered.

"Good, because I don't want to smack into an invisible barrier at the speed we're going," Charizard said. They continued to fly, the mountains now under them when Charizard suddenly stopped going forward and hovered. Pidgeot stopped when she realized Charizard wasn't beside her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's just… we're really leaving. For the next several days, we're going to be out there, beyond the trees and rivers we call home. We've never really left this place since Myu saved us except one time, and that was only for a couple hours," Charizard said. When he said that, the full meaning of what they were doing hit the others.

"Wow, you're right," Pikachu said. "For twenty years, all we've known is the Tree of Beginning and the surrounding forests, and that is all our children know."

"I wonder how the outside world has changed," Infernape said. "How has twenty years changed the world as a whole?"

"Only one way to find out," Lucario said. He held up the crystal necklace and started pointing it in random directions to find out where they needed to go. Eventually, the transparent crystal glowed a faint blue, and Lucario pointed Charizard in that direction. "That way."

Charizard nodded before flying off, Pidgeot following behind him.

* * *

Seema was furiously packing up her things, placing them in a leather bag. She was only going to take what was necessary to survive out there, long enough for her to reach the Pokémon's land, where she was going to remain.

After she saw Harold shoot Sceptile, she just couldn't stay there anymore. She didn't really agree with Myu's belief that all humans were vicious and beyond redemption, but in Harold's case, she couldn't argue with her old friend. She hoped he would understand her reasons for being there, as she couldn't really go anywhere else.

A knock on her door made her pause. "Come in," she said. Mike walked into her room. "What are you doing here?"

"Mostly to see what you are doing," he responded. He noticed that most of her clothes were missing, and the leather bag she had was rather full. "Don't tell me you're going to leave. Humans can't survive outside."

"There is one place we can safely live," Seema said, resuming her packing.

"And after everything that's happened, what makes you think they will help you?" Mike asked, knowing where she was going.

"Their leader and I have a… special connection. I know I can convince him to let me stay," Seema said, a hand fingering her pocket and the crystal it held.

"You really think that?"

"I know. I won't accept anything less," she said.

"Then, perhaps you could take us with you," Mike asked hopefully.

Seema gave him an odd look. "Who is 'us'?" He couldn't be simply referring to his kids, could he?

"I've asked around, and there are several others who want to take Myu's offer to change, but they don't want to do it here," Mike explained. "Take us with you to their home, if you think you can convince them to let us live with them."

"I have my ways," Seema said with a smile before slinging the bag over her shoulder. "So, how many are we talking about?" She opened her door and found a rather large crowd standing in front of her. People of all ages and walks of life stood there, anxiously looking at her.

"One hundred thirty-three," Mike said.

"Okay, this might be pushing the limits of generosity, but I guess it's better than nothing," Seema said. "A crowd this size won't be easy to sneak out during the day, so we'll wait and do it at night. Also, we'll need to lose the guns. They hate that weapon more than us and if they see even one of them, they'll never let us live with them."

"Okay," Mike said. "I'll be sure to tell them that. No guns."

* * *

Judas wasn't so sure his father's idea of trying to live with those animals was a good idea and bringing along over one fourth of the base was a bad idea. They were the last of humanity, and they couldn't afford to lose even one more person. He walked through the base to find Harold, finding the former colonel inside the room with the radio, someone else working on it.

"What is it, Judas?" the army man asked.

"It's my father and Seema, they're planning on taking a lot of people to the land where those animals live," Judas said.

"What? Why?" Harold asked, shocked and betrayed.

"They think they can offer a better life," Judas answered.

Harold mulled this over in his mind, weighing his options. "Any idea how they plan to get to them?"

"Just that they're leaving tonight," Jarret said.

Harold pondered over that. The mountains were surrounded by an impenetrable barrier, so how could they get to the forest on the other side. Unless… of course! A tunnel through the mountains. That could prove useful. He turned to Judas. "I want you to go with them, but take this with you," he handed the young man an old hand-held radio. "Don't change the dial on it, and use it to report back with anything you find."

"Why? Aren't we trapped outside?" Judas asked.

"Not for long. We've managed to contact a military base. There are other survivors." He let that sink in before continuing. "Reports are still coming in, but from what we can determine, U.S. bases all over the world managed to survive, and several other countries also have military installations that survived. In a few weeks time, we're going to guide an attack on their place, and I want you to give us any useful information you find. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Judas said.

"Well, congratulations, you're a soldier now," he said, shaking the boy's hand.

* * *

Later that night, Seema stood at the head of the crowd of 133 humans, guiding them past the patrols and guards so they could get out of Fort Riley. Seema was certain that Harold wouldn't let them leave willingly, so sneaking out was the only way they could leave without being forced back.

"You sure we can get past all the guards?" a boy asked her.

"If we stick to the shadows and remain very quiet, then yes," she told him. She ran ahead and motioned for a group to follow. To make sure they all got out, they agreed to be split up into groups of twelve, and Seema was leading the first group. She made sure no one was looking before continuing on. This went on several times as they made their way out of Fort Riley, with the other groups following. Once they were safely outside they regrouped, and Seema lead them onward.

They reached the ruins of Manhattan, and only then did they allow themselves time to rest. They found several destroyed houses and buildings and set up a makeshift camp to spend the rest of the night.

"Well, we got out of there okay," Mike said.

"I'm not going to feel safe until I see the endless expanse of forest beyond those mountains," Seema said, pointing to the mountains that were visible in the distance. "We'll need to leave early in the morning to make sure Harold's men don't find us."

"And if they figure out where we're going?" Mike asked.

Seema smirked. "They don't know what I know. Trust me, once we're past the mountains, we'll never have to worry about them again." She stood up and walked away. She only hoped that Myu hadn't had the tunnel collapsed or closed already, in which case, they were screwed.

* * *

They packed up early the next day, and by late morning they were at the base of the mountains.

"So now what?" Mike asked.

Seema scanned the mountains for her target and found it right where she left it; a hole that went into the mountains a few meters up. She led her quarry toward it, advising them to be careful. Many of them had brought flashlights, so they used those to light up the dark tunnel. As they walked, Seema heard several comments about the change in air quality, and some noted that it was actually warmer than they thought.

After almost an hour of walking, they spotted a light at the end of this tunnel. Encouraged by the end of this, they all sped up. Finally, they exited the tunnel, walking out onto the slope of the mountain. All the kids gasped at the sight, as there were trees everywhere they looked, and beautiful blue sky that few humans had seen in twenty years.

Seema breathed in the fresh air, glad to have it back in her lungs again before climbing down the slope of the mountain. They reached the bottom and continued on into the dense foliage. Seema asked one last time to make sure no one had any guns, even going so far as to have everybody checked. This was a delicate situation, and she had to make sure there were no misunderstandings. When a thorough search came up empty, they pressed onward.

Eventually, somebody said they spotted a bird, but when everyone looked in its direction, it immediately flew off. Seema didn't know if it was a natural animal or a Pokémon, but either way, she knew that soon the inhabitants would be coming to them. She requested that everyone come to a halt, thinking it would be better if the Pokémon came to them.

Her theory was correct as a couple hours later, a large group of Pokémon surrounded the relatively small group of humans. Seema stood up and raised her hands, hoping they understood the gesture.

"You never said there was this many of them," one of the women said.

"This is only part of them," Judas noted. "Wait till you see 'em all."

"Quiet," Seema whispered. "They can understand us."

"Seems Humans don't understand the concept of 'don't come back'," Feraligatr growled. "Maybe its time we send a message to them."

"I don't think Myu would approve," Zoroark cautioned.

"Myu isn't here," Feraligatr growled. "They shot my son, they killed Sceptile. They are past the point of redemption."

Feraligatr started to advance to them, and Seema was panicking inside. She didn't know what Feraligatr said, but the tone and posture were good indicators. She needed to find someway to convince this one that they weren't a threat. Then she remembered the crystal Myu gave her. She pulled it out as fast as she could without seeming threatening and held it up to Feraligatr.

The blue reptile looked at the glowing stone in the female's hand. How did she get that? Then he remembered a female that Myu had allowed amongst them for a night. Was this the same human?

Seema held the crystal out for all the Pokémon to see. They backed away when they realized it was from the Tree of Beginning.

"That's impossible," Feraligatr breathed.

Zoroark was also stunned. Myu needed to see this. She fired a pulse of purple-black rings in the air, which exploded once they reached a certain altitude. She knew Myu would see it and teleport to them.

Feraligatr had managed to come out of his stupor and growled. "You dare carry a crystal from the Tree of Beginning?" he asked, though he knew the humans couldn't understand him. "You will pay for your kind's transgressions." He growled as he advanced. The humans backed up in fear, frightened by the threatening tone.

" _Enough!"_ The telepathic word startled everyone who heard it. They all turned to see Myu floating behind Feraligatr, a scowl on his face.

"Myu," Seema said. She was glad to see him until he looked at her with the same scowl.

"Myu, these Humans…" Feraligatr began, but Myu cut him off.

"They are unarmed Feraligatr. I will not permit the death of a defenseless creature. Human or otherwise," Myu said verbally. Feraligatr backed away, his head hung. Myu turned to face the Humans. _"What are you doing here?"_ he demanded telepathically.

"I came here in the hope I could live with you," Seema answered. "And I brought others who want the new life you promised."

" _That was offered before. Now I do not permit your kind within my boarders. I demand that you all leave,"_ Myu stated, earning nodes and murmurs of agreement from the Pokémon.

"Wait, but we've risked everything coming here, give us a chance!" a human begged.

"We can't go back," another said.

"They're right. Harold probably knows we've left by now. He won't like that we're here," Seema said.

" _Perhaps you should have thought of that before you left,"_ Myu said.

"Myu, please, give us another chance," Seema begged.

" _Your final chance died with Sceptile,"_ Myu stated. Nearly every Pokémon there agreed, shouting at the humans to leave for good.

"Myu, wait," Seema said before Myu could say anything else. "You told me you gave your children a new life because they accepted it and were willing to learn. Well, everyone here wants to start over, and we are willing to learn from you to be a better people." She hoped that would convince Myu, but just in case… "Sceptile would have wanted us to be given another chance."

Myu was at first mad that she would dare say that name, but it quickly dispelled when he realized she was right. Sceptile was the only one who opted for unity, and if she was here, she would tell him to give them one more chance. He focused on Seema's mind and searched it for any deception on her part. As he scanned it, he found Sceptile's last words. He almost shed a tear at them. Seema didn't understand what Sceptile meant, but that was because the message wasn't meant for her.

It was for him.

No hate. That was one of Myu's most recurring lessons, to let go of anger and forgive for their actions.

" _One,"_ he said simply.

"One what?" Seema asked.

" _One last chance,"_ Myu explained. Many of the Pokémon didn't like that and made their displeasure known. "Silence!" Myu exclaimed. _"Sceptile would have wanted it that way, so I will give you one last chance in her honor."_ Many of the humans cheered up at that. _"But make no mistake, this is your last chance. Betray my trust again, hurt any of my children, and there will be no mercy, no forgiveness. You will be banished and may never come here again."_

"Okay," Seema said after a tense moment. "I promise; we will not betray you."

Myu nodded and gestured for them to follow him. He flew through the forest, making sure the slower humans could keep up. When they reached the Tree, they marveled at the sight. None of them had ever seen anything like this before.

" _You shall sleep here, under the Tree of Beginning,"_ Myu told the humans. He placed a paw on the ground, and the terrain altered to create alcoves for the humans to rest in and elevated some rocks to create tables and grew moss on some to create beds. _"This is where you will stay. Under no circumstances are any of you to enter the Tree. Only my children are permitted."_

"When can we enter the tree?" one of the humans asked.

" _When you prove yourselves worthy,"_ Myu answered.

As the humans spread out to make sleeping arrangements, many of the Pokémon were baffled as to why Myu was even letting the humans remain here.

"I don't get it Myu. Why are you letting them be so close to us?" Feraligatr questioned growling.

"After all they did and you don't punish them?" Zoroark asked. "And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were developing feelings for that one female."

"Hmm, that reminds me, have you figured out the answer to my question?" Myu asked.

The Pokémon sighed, remembering that Myu refused to answer anything else until they answered his question.

"No Myu, we still don't know what the best way to defeat your enemy is," Zoroark answered, head bowed, the others mirroring her.

"The best way to defeat your enemy… is to make them your friend," Myu said.

Many of the Pokémon were puzzled by that. How did that defeat your enemy? But the more they thought it over, the more it made sense, until it clicked in their minds and suddenly, it did make sense.

Zoroark saw that one human was struggling with the bag they brought, trying to lift it up and place it on the table. She glanced at Myu, as if to ask permission, which the Mew responded with a nod. She walked over to the human and helped them lift the bag onto the table.

Slowly at first, more Pokémon helped the struggling humans with the few possessions they had, some Pokémon even brought a few berries with them to show their kindness.

Myu smiled as eventually, every Pokémon present was assisting in some way. They weren't allies yet, and they had a long way to go before they were friends. But for now, they were assisting, and that was enough for him.

* * *

Meanwhile, over a thousand miles away, a group of five Pokémon were nearing their destination. They had to land in the remains of a human city for a night, but the next morning they were in the air, and by midday, they could see the ocean. Lucario's crystal glowed brighter as they drew closer, and before long, they could spot the towering remains of skyscrapers.

"Is that where we're going?" Charizard asked.

Lucario held the crystal and pointed it at the city, and it glowed brighter. "Seems so Charizard," Lucario said.

"Wonder what this place was," Pidgeot said.

"There were hundreds of costal cities, and we've been traveling east this whole time," Pikachu informed.

"How many of those cities were on very long stretches of land?" Charizard asked out loud.

"What?" Lucario questioned.

"Look at it, it stretches on for miles into the ocean. It also seems that the only thing that connects it to the mainland is several bridges," Charizard pointed out. The description sounded familiar to Lucario, but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions. That was until Pikachu spotted a very familiar landmark.

"Hey, that small island to the west of it, there's something very familiar on it." They managed to reach the island in question and circled it, and Lucario was the first one to identify the large green melted figure.

"That's the Statue of Liberty," he said solemnly, and then the name of the city struck all their minds, but Lucario was the only one to say it. "New York City. I'm home."

 **End of Chapter 4**

 **Read and Review** **  
**


	6. Chapter 5 - Forward

A World Reborn - Forward

The group of five Pokémon, composed of Lucario, Charizard, Pidgeot, Pikachu and Infernape, were currently standing in the remains of a shopping center on the outskirts of the ruins of New York City to avoid a rainstorm. None of them knew if it was contaminated water, but they weren't going to risk being drenched in nuclear fallout.

"So, Lucario," Pikachu began, "New York City is where you're from?"

"Yes," Lucario answered simply, watching the rain outside.

"Huh. I always knew you were a city boy, but you never told us you were from the Big Apple," Pikachu said.

"It didn't seem necessary," Lucario said. "I knew this city was destroyed. That's partly the reason I was in Wamego to begin with. It wasn't going to be a target of missiles, and if the world was going to end, I figured I might as well see the country while I had the chance."

"Too bad our home was less than thirty miles away from Fort Riley, which was a target," Charizard spoke up. "How come you never talked about your home?"

"I thought you guys knew all about New York City," Lucario answered.

Infernape chuckled at that. "Guys, show of appendages, who here knows anything about the Big Apple, and information from movies and TV don't count."

Lucario turned his head to look at the Pokémon, and no one raised anything. This did surprise him. "You can't be serious."

"Lucario, we've lived in the country our whole lives," Charizard said. "And besides, we got a Little Apple within a few miles."

Lucario chuckled. "Your Manhattan doesn't compare with mine. Yours is much smaller and has fewer stores."

"I think that's actually a good thing," Pikachu said. "Plus, how many McDonald's do you need? I spotted four within walking distance of each other."

That caused several Pokémon to laugh, and even Lucario couldn't stop a chuckle. "No wonder humans were getting so fat; they had too many fast food restaurants near each other," Charizard joked.

"You're just jealous that my home has more to choose from than yours did," Lucario said, trying to sound offended. It didn't work.

"Oh sure," Pikachu said rolling his eyes. "Do we want the McDonald's next to our hotel or down the street?" That got another laugh. "Plus, how many hotels do you need? With that many rooms, you'd think there wouldn't be anyone living on the streets."

"Those cost money," Lucario said.

"Greed is the path to destruction," Charizard said. "Great, now I'm quoting Myu."

Some laughed, but it quickly died down.

"You know, for all its faults, I did miss my home," Lucario said.

Pidgeot could sense the sudden change in mood and decided to change topics. "So, where do we go to get what we need here?" she asked.

Lucario held the crystal necklace around his neck with one paw, moving it around until it glowed brighter. "That way."

"We're gonna have to wait for this storm to pass before we go anywhere," Infernape reminded.

"So, what do we do in the meantime?" Charizard asked.

"Lucario could tell us about his home," Pikachu suggested.

"I don't really feel like sharing," Lucario said. "This place brings up too many memories."

"Okay, any other ideas?" Pikachu asked.

"Twenty questions?" Infernape offered.

* * *

Back at the Tree of Beginning, morning had risen, and the group of one hundred thirty-three humans were forced awake by the rays of sunlight. Many of the kids whined and asked that the light be turned off.

Seema got up and noticed that there were already many Pokémon up and about, picking berries off bushes and trees and eating them.

"Alright, breakfast time I guess," she muttered. She noticed that several people were pulling out the food packets they brought with them. However, they noticed a problem, as there was no place to put the empty packets. So, some of them resorted to dumping them on the ground. Seema was about to caution them against it when Myu appeared.

"Myu, good morning," Seema greeted.

" _I'd return the greeting, but first I want to know why your people are dumping their trash on our land,"_ Myu said.

"Um, because we have no place to put them?" Seema offered, but Myu didn't accept the answer.

" _Why do you even have those? There are more than enough berries to go around,"_ Myu said, gesturing to all the bushes. _"I'd appreciate if you got rid of those things and eat the fruits that my children will provide."_

"How do we do that? Do you have a landfill?" Seema asked.

" _No, why would we need one?"_ Myu answered. _"You must get rid of those… food packets in a safe way. I will not have you corrupting the land I have spent years rejuvenating."_ With that, Myu teleported away.

"Easier said than done," Seema muttered. She passed the request along to the others.

"But we need to eat," one of the humans said. "How can we sustain ourselves without these?"

"Myu said to eat the berries. They are everywhere, and are probably better for us," Seema said.

"But where will we get rid of the food packets?" another asked.

"I don't know. We need suggestions," Seema asked. "Meanwhile, start picking berries."

* * *

In the remains of New York, the rain had finally stopped, and Lucario's group were now walking through the ruined streets. Lucario held his crystal out in front of him, pointing it in the directions they needed to go. Many in his group complained about the maze-like streets and often commented about the number of stores they could see. Pikachu even turned it into a game, to see how many stores or hotels they passed by.

Lucario stopped just before he ran into a building. "I think we're here," he said out loud.

"Well, then, final count, forty-three," Pikachu said smugly.

"Forty-two," Charizard grumbled.

"What is this place?" Pidgeot asked.

"Not sure," Lucario answered. "Although judging by the dirty white color of it, I'm guessing a lab of some sort."

"What kind of lab?" Infernape asked.

"Don't know," Lucario said.

"I'm guessing it had something to do with biological hazards," Pikachu said. Everyone turned to look at him weirdly. "Yellow circle with those black triangle-things on the doors means biological hazards."

"So, we need to get something from here?" Charizard questioned.

"Apparently," Lucario said. He walked up to the door and noticed a metal sign hanging on one of the doors. "Warning, restricted access. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law," he read.

"Oh, scary," Pikachu said sarcastically.

Lucario stepped back from the door to prepare himself. He put his paws together before focusing his power in them. Then he spread them apart, and a bone made from green energy appeared in his clenched paws. He whacked it on the door, and they flew into the building.

"Was that really necessary?" Pidgeot questioned.

"Pretty sure. The doors were reinforced, so I had to attack them to open them," Lucario answered. He dispelled the bone and walked inside.

He found himself in a hallway, doors lining the walls.

"So, that crystal tell you which door to open?" Pikachu asked.

"Let's see," Lucario answered. He held it in his paw again before moving onward. He pointed it at each door to see if it would glow any brighter. They walked down halls and went around corners when the crystal brightened. The further they walked, the darker the hallway got. Fortunately, the crystal and Charizard's tail flame provided enough illumination to see well enough.

Eventually, they came to a stop at one door when Lucario's crystal became brighter. This one wasn't locked, so Lucario opened it with a push. They walked in but could barely see anything. Lucario reached for a light switch but flicking it did nothing.

"No power," he commented.

Charizard gripped his tail and pointed it forward as a makeshift flashlight. The room had biohazard suits. On the other side was a large metal door with a wheel.

"I'm gonna guess we're going that way," Pikachu said, pointing to the door. Lucario checked with his crystal, and sure enough, it lit up.

Infernape walked up to the wheel and gripped it. He tried to turn it, but it was stiff. "I don't think I can do this," he said. Charizard and Lucario walked over and assisted, turning it with all their strength. Eventually, it started to turn. After several minutes of struggling, they heard a clunk that indicated it was unlocked, though the three had to pull in unison to open the door.

The five stepped inside and saw that the walls were lined with metal.

"If that metal is thick enough, everything in here would have been untouched by radiation," Pidgeot speculated.

"Then there's something in here that's biological and could be used," Lucario realized.

"So, what do we take?" Charizard questioned. The room had several vials and test tubes that were filled with liquids of varying color.

"I don't know," Lucario said. "I don't think we can check everything."

"Okay, let's employ a process of elimination then," Pikachu offered. "Let's avoid everything that's a biohazard and what's labeled as unsafe. Look through everything else and let's hope that something important shows up, like if it has an unpronounceable name." The five split up, reading various vials and test tubes for anything important. For several minutes they searched, until Charizard found something.

"Hey, this is interesting," he said out loud. "It says this vial contains a single strand of hair from a previously undiscovered species." The others came over to look. "The DNA of this creature is unlike any the scientists studying it have ever seen. Many says the DNA is actually fake, but multiple tests have proven it is authentic. This creature has blue fur, which is also unusual for a natural creature."

"Blue fur?" Lucario questioned.

"Yes, and apparently its so fine, that they need a microscope to view it," Charizard continued. "They also believe this fur is slightly transparent, which is why it is so hard to see."

"Myu's fur is somewhat transparent," Lucario said. "You don't think it's his fur, do you?"

"How would they get their hands on it?" Pikachu asked.

"Apparently it was discovered in a city in the middle of the country, but it doesn't give any more information," Charizard said.

Lucario held his crystal up to the vial in Charizard's claws, and it glowed brighter than ever. "This is what we need."

"Well then, let's take it and move on," Pikachu said.

"Hold on, there's still a great deal of radiation out there," Infernape reminded. "While we have a way to survive it, this vial and whatever's in it doesn't. The radiation could destroy it. We need a way to protect it when we're out there."

"How about that?" Pidgeot said, pointing to a lead box. "It's big enough to hold the vial, and small enough that Lucario can carry it in his bag."

"Alright," Lucario said, picking up the box. He opened it and saw it had some things in it. In particular, he saw a picture of a human family, and for a brief moment was reminded of his family that lived here. He shook his head before taking the picture out and laying it on the table, along with the rest of the box's contents. He held it open for Charizard, who placed the vial inside. When he did, Lucario's crystal went out, and the only source of light they had was Charizard's tail flame.

"Well, now what?" Pikachu asked.

"I guess we should spend the night here, as we will probably have to spend the whole day traveling tomorrow," Pidgeot suggested.

"Yeah, probably would be best," Lucario agreed. They made their way back through the halls, but stopped just short of leaving the building, wary of another potential shower. As night fell, they all found spots to sleep. Though Lucario couldn't sleep, as memories of another life plagued his mind, causing him to toss and turn. Eventually he gave up.

He sat up and looked outside, his gut telling him to go where he needed to; his old home. He looked at the others and saw they were asleep, so he quietly snuck away, into the night. He had to see it. He had to.

* * *

At the Tree of Beginning, night had come around again, and all the Humans were adjusting to sleep again. They had spent nearly the whole morning collecting berries, and they found the small fruits to be very tasty. The kids loved them, as they tasted much better than the food packets. They had the same berries for lunch and dinner, and now they were having a few more before they slept for the night.

The only thing they hadn't accomplished was disposing of the food packets. They were wrapped in plastic, which wasn't easy to get rid of. They hoped to have found some way to get rid of it before Myu returned, a hope that was dashed when the blue Mew teleported to them.

" _I see you have yet to dispose of the food packets,"_ he telepathically told them. Seema walked up to him to address him.

"They aren't easy to get rid of Myu," Seema said. "We can't think of any safe way to get rid of them without damaging your home."

" _I was afraid it would come to this,"_ Myu said forlornly. Many of the humans were frightened by that. Was he going to banish them? _"Bring your garbage here. I have a way to dispose of it."_

The humans carried the food packets over and put them all in a pile. Once that was done, Myu surrounded the packets in a blue bubble, which was teleported away.

"Where did it go?" Seema asked.

" _Into space,"_ Myu answered.

"Where in space?" she asked.

" _Far enough away that it won't be a problem,"_ Myu answered. _"It will be destroyed with time."_

"Okay, if you think so," she said. As the others prepared for bed, Seema decided to follow Myu before he left. "Hey, this doesn't make us look bad or hurt our chances to be here, right?" she asked him.

" _You are fine. To be honest, I didn't expect you to find a solution that didn't damage the environment,"_ Myu answered.

"Good," Seema responded. "Hey, we're still friends, right? Regardless of what happened with Sceptile?"

" _I know you had nothing to do with it, though I am disappointed that you didn't protect her better."_

"I did everything I could, but Harold has become unreasonable. He seems convinced that you are the bad guys, and our psychologist thinks he's suffering from PTSD," Seema explained.

" _Then why make him your leader?"_ Myu questioned.

"It wasn't by choice, he was the highest-ranking officer that survived. It was only natural that he be put in charge." Seema looked at Myu to see if he understood. "I only ask that you take that into consideration."

" _Consideration for what?"_ Myu questioned.

"Um, aren't you going to attack them?" Seema asked.

" _No,"_ Myu answered bluntly. Seeing Seema's puzzled expression, he explained why. _"I will not be provoked into war with them, and I do not condone any action that results in bloodshed."_

"But… I thought you would try to destroy them after what happened. That's partly why I'm here, so you know I'm not bad and don't kill me," Seema said.

Myu sighed before telling Seema there was a plan. _"Don't tell anyone, but actions are already being taken to destroy humanity, but it will not be in a bloodbath."_

"Then… how are you going to kill them?" Seema asked.

" _I will not tell. While I trust you, I do not trust the others, and that is all the answer you will get,"_ Myu said before he teleported away.

Seema was confused. If she and Myu were friends, why wouldn't he tell her what he was planning? Perhaps it was because, as he said, he trusted her and her alone. He didn't want something to accidentally be said and give away what his plan was. So, for now, she was content to remain in the dark.

* * *

Pikachu awoke the next morning when sunlight hit his face. He groaned at being roused from his peaceful slumber, but eventually sat up when he realized he wasn't going back to sleep. He scanned the room to make sure everyone was here. Charizard, Pidgeot, Infernape. But where was Lucario?

"Lucario," he said out loud. No answer. "Lucario," he said a little louder. Still no answer. "Lucario!" he shouted, this time succeeding in waking up Pidgeot.

"Pikachu, what's wrong?" she asked, still waking up, the others following.

"Lucario's not here," Pikachu said. At that, they all scanned the hall they slept in, and sure enough, it was absent of the blue canine.

"Where did he go?" Charizard wondered.

"I don't know. Pikachu, can you track him?" Pidgeot asked, knowing that the electric rodent was a skilled tracker.

Pikachu sniffed the spot where he knew Lucario had slept. He picked up a trail of the canine's scent and followed it outside the building. "It's a good thing there's nothing out on the streets and that we're the only things here, or this would be a lot harder," Pikachu commented as he continued to follow the scent, the others behind him.

Pikachu followed the scent out of the urban area to the northern part of Long Island. Though the skyscrapers dominated the land to the south, this part had more houses than towering buildings, and the quartet was glad they could see into the distance now. They followed the scent to one of the houses. The door looked like it had been forced, and Pikachu confirmed that Lucario was inside, as his scent was stronger.

They walked through the house, which wasn't in the best shape. A fine layer of dust covered everything. Pidgeot's keen eyes spotted a picture frame that wasn't so covered. She walked over to it and saw that the dust was brushed off very recently. The picture was of four humans. Two older ones were obviously the parents, and the two younger ones, a boy and a girl, were their kids. She took the picture in her beak as she followed them through the house.

Pikachu sniffed a door that was slightly ajar and pushed it open. They had entered a bedroom and sleeping on the bed was the wayward blue canine, Lucario.

"Lucario?" Pikachu asked.

Lucario woke up at the sound of Pikachu's voice. He sat up in the bed to see everyone else there.

"How did you find me?" he asked.

"This is the emptiest city I've ever seen," Pikachu said. "Your scent sticks out big time."

"What are you doing here? And why did you come here?" Charizard asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucario sarcastically asked.

Pidgeot walked up, setting the picture down next to him. "I'm guessing this used to be your home." She gestured to the boy in the picture. "That was you, wasn't it?"

Lucario sighed. "Yeah, that's me as a kid, years before the world came to an abrupt end. It's from a time when we were happy."

"Why did you come here?" Charizard asked.

"I… I wanted to see if it was still here. If everything was still here," Lucario said before standing up. "And sadly, everything I left is here."

"Why is that sad?" Pikachu questioned.

Lucario walked out of the room, stopping by another door. "This is why," he said before turning the handle and opening the door. The others gasped at what was inside; there were three severely rotted corpses on the floor. "When it seemed war was inevitable, I started making travel plans to go elsewhere, and I tried to convince them to come." A tear came to Lucario's eye as he fell to the floor. "They kept insisting it wouldn't come to that, that the world leaders weren't stupid enough to declare nuclear war." He blinked, and the tear fell. "I begged them to come with me, telling them that it would be safer in Kansas than here, but they wouldn't listen." He desperately tried to stop more tears from forming, but he was failing.

"So, I left without them. I arrived in Kansas City, booked a hotel room in a quiet town that I thought would be safe." More tears started to fall. "A couple days later, war was declared, and a day after, Myu gave me the chance to start over, to build a new life with a new race, and I accepted, as I thought it would be better than death." He started to choke as he fought the tears and well of emotions that threatened to erupt. "I lived, but they died here."

He grabbed a couple faded pieces of paper off the floor and handed them to the others. "Plane tickets, and the destination is the same airport I landed in. They must have realized it wasn't safe and tried to follow me, but they didn't make it!" He punched the ground with a fist, shaking the floor. "If they had come with me, if they had listened, then maybe they could have been given the same chance I got." He couldn't hold back anymore and began to sob. "Why is it that I got to live, and they died? Why?!" He broke down right there, not caring that it was undignified. Too many questions were swirling in his head, and he had no answers. He was consumed with wondering what might have been.

Pikachu walked over and held Lucario's paw with his own in a gesture of comfort. "I can't imagine what this is like for you, seeing the remains of your family and the life you once had. It must be hard."

Charizard walked up and placed a clawed hand on Lucario's shoulder. "I wish I could say I know how you feel, but I don't. I never knew my family, but you spent most of your life with yours. I can only imagine how much this hurts."

"We all lost people we care about," Infernape said, placing his hand on Lucario's other shoulder. "But for most of us, we got the chance to say goodbye. You never had that chance."

"What happened here is tragic," Pidgeot said, placing a wing around Lucario. "But as Myu taught us, it does no good to ponder what might have been, and what's done can't be undone, no matter how much we want it to. We must always look to the future, to make sure our children don't suffer the same tragedies that we did."

"Yeah, think about what you have Lucario," Pikachu said. "A beautiful daughter, a mate that loves you, and friends who adore you."

"Be thankful for what we have," Charizard said, remembering that Myu was fond of saying that.

"You lost your human family, Lucario, but your Pokémon family will always be here for you," Infernape reassured.

Lucario rubbed his eyes, wiping away the tears. "Thanks, guys."

"Well, we should probably leave. We've got more to get," Charizard said.

"Not yet," Lucario said. "There's something we need to do first."

* * *

Lucario lead them to a shed that had full gas cans in them. He handed everyone a can. They didn't need to be told what to do with them. They spread the gas around the house, covering everything in it, but Lucario personally saw to the bodies of his parents and sister. Once it was done, they all met outside at the front of the house, standing several feet away for safety.

Lucario thought in his head what he needed to say before finding what he needed. "It isn't right what happened here. The people who lived here didn't deserve to die. They were victims of an unjust and cruel world, a world that destroyed itself." He paused to hold back the tears that threatened to start again. "But we who survived, seek to bring about a new world, one where things like this never happen. We will continue on and make sure that the new world will be one of peace and happiness." He turned his gaze to the room his family occupied. "We burn your bodies, so your souls can go to the next world. May you find happiness in the endless plains and know no sorrow as you rest in peace." Lucario focused his gaze on the house as a whole. "From dust they came, to dust they will return. We continue the cycle of life and death and remain confident that one day we will see them again when our time comes. Until that day…" he gestured to Charizard, who fired a small flame at a trail of the gas that lead to the house, setting it on fire. "As above, so below. In Archeus we trust."

"We trust," the others echoed. For several minutes they stood watching the house burn, hearing small explosions from inside.

"Sorry you had to see your family this way, Lucario," Pikachu said.

"It's fine. Time heals all wounds, right?" Lucario said.

"So, what next?" Infernape said.

"We continue on," Lucario said determinedly. "We're going to make sure that what happened here never happens again." He held the crystal in his paw, and he pointed it in various directions. It lit up when he pointed it east. "That's where we go next."

"Still got the bag?" Infernape asked.

Lucario slung it around his shoulder, climbing onto Charizard's back. "Forward." With that, Charizard took off, Pidgeot and her passengers following a second later. Lucario gave one last glance at his old home as it vanished, the bright orange fire fading in the distance as they crossed the ocean.

 **End of Chapter 5**

 **Read and Review**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 - Lessons of Peace - Dec 18  
**


	7. Chapter 6 - Lessons of Peace

A World Reborn - Lessons of Peace

Seema woke to the sounds of chirping. Every morning, the bird-like Pokémon would sing, though the Humans couldn't understand. Seema wished she could understand them, as she sure would like to know what they were singing.

The others soon woke up. She noticed that everyone was becoming accustomed to the new features every morning and was glad that they were adjusting. Some went out to gather berries, and she saw that some Pokémon helped out in the gathering. She was glad that humans and Pokémon were getting along better than they used to, though she could still detect some hatred from several Pokémon, most of it focused at her.

"So, Mike," she said, turning to the adult. "Have your kids adjusted well?" she asked.

"Most of them, except Judas," he replied. "He seems to have trouble accepting that we're safe."

"Well, you can tell him that there is nothing to fear here. So long as we don't get on the Pokémon's bad side, we will be just fine," Seema said.

At that moment, Myu appeared. He had made it a habit to greet the humans every morning to ensure that they were fine, and to impart the lesson of the day.

" _Greetings,"_ he telepathed. _"I trust you slept well."_

"Yeah, it's getting better," Seema said. "I think the peaceful environment really helps. So, what do we learn today?"

" _Let's see, you already practice purity, I've taught you generosity, you've witnessed forgiveness, you've mastered persistence. The lessons left are altruism, compassion, and bravery."_ Myu assumed a thinking pose as he thought over what needed to be done next. _"Let's work on altruism. But not just yours. My own children could use a reminder of this lesson. For today, I want your kind to mingle with mine. I will inform the others of what needs to be done."_ He teleported away, presumably to tell the Pokémon what needed to be done.

Seema gathered everyone after they had breakfast to tell them of Myu's next lesson.

"What's 'altruism'?" one of the kids asked.

"It basically means we need to show sympathy for others," Seema said. "To learn this, we need to interact with the Pokémon more than we normally do each day, and he's going to have them interact with us."

"How will that help us learn this lesson?" another asked.

"I don't know, but we do need to interact with the Pokémon more. We're gonna be stuck with them for a long time," Seema answered.

"Is it really safe to be around them?" yet another asked.

"As long as you don't provoke them," Seema answered.

* * *

Lucario, Charizard, Pidgeot, Pikachu and Infernape had been traveling across the ocean for several days without stop. They couldn't find a place to stop while they traveled, for there were no islands for them to land. But now, they could see land in the distance.

"Land ho!" Pikachu shouted.

"Finally!" Charizard cheered. "We've been flying for days!"

Lucario held his crystal. It had been steadily growing brighter as they drew closer, but it wasn't so bright to indicate they were closer.

"We might have to fly for a little farther," he said. "Its still a ways to the next item."

"Lucario, we need to rest," Pidgeot said gently. "Charizard and I have been carrying you three for the past few days. We need to give our wings a rest."

"As soon as we reach our destination, you two can rest," Lucario assured.

"Well, I think I can go for a while longer," Charizard said pridefully.

"Alright, but I don't know for how long we can go," Pidgeot acquiesced.

They continued for a couple hours more, before Lucario's crystal brightened. They looked ahead and saw another city in the distance.

"What city do you think that is?" Infernape asked.

"Don't know, we're on the other side of the Atlantic," Lucario said. "Its anyone's guess what city this is."

"I think I can help narrow it down," Pikachu said. "We're in the United Kingdom."

"How do you know that?" Infernape questioned.

"I've been keeping track of where we're going, and in addition to going east, we've been going slightly north. That should put us somewhere in the British Isles," Pikachu explained.

"Hey, I think I see ocean past the city," Charizard said.

"Wait, to my knowledge, there's only one city that fits that description," Lucario said. "Guys, we're in London."

* * *

Nearby, in a military base that survived, a radar was detecting two small objects entering their airspace.

A man sitting at the radar was puzzled by what it was detecting. The objects were so small, they barely registered.

"Commander, you need to see this. Radar picked up two bogeys coming," he called out. The commander of the base came over to observe the radar.

"Twenty years of nothing, and now something shows up? Inform the other bases that we've picked up two bogeys," he told one of the other officers. "Can you identify them?"

"No, they're so small they barely register," the first officer informed him. "It seems they're heading for London."

"Well, then, radiation levels are low enough that we can be out there for a few hours. Let's take a squad and investigate," the commander commanded.

* * *

Back at the Tree, the Pokémon were outside the Tree to greet the humans, though they had a problem communicating with each other.

Zorua picked her way through the Humans until she found the girl and boy she met before. She ran up and rubbed the boy's leg.

"Hey, I remember you, you're that black fox," he said, picking Zorua up. She yipped in happiness when he recognized her. She didn't say anything back for he wouldn't understand it. "Hey, Karina," he called out.

"What is it Jefferey?" the girl called back. She spotted Zorua and greeted the fox. "Oh, hi there, nice to see you again. Why did you come see us?"

"I just wanted to see you again," Zorua said, rubbing the boy's cheek with her own, hoping they understood.

"I think she just wanted to see us again," Jefferey said. An older male came up, and seemed shocked that Zorua was there.

"What are you doing, letting one be so close to you?" he questioned.

"She just wanted to see us again, Judas," Karina said. "Lighten up, they're quite nice."

"They're still animals, they're dangerous," Judas rebutted.

Zorua got a mischievous idea. She leapt off Jeffery's shoulder and glowed purple. When she landed, she looked identical to Judas. She let out a small chuckle at his shocked face. "Yeah, we're really dangerous," she joked.

"Wow, she looks just like you, Judas," Jefferey noted. He then looked behind her and notice a small black tail. "Well, almost. Why's this still here?" he wondered as he grabbed it. Suddenly, Zorua turned back into her real form.

"Whoa, neat," Karina said, astonished.

"That was creepy," Judas said.

"She just wants to play," Jefferey defended. Zorua made a few yipping noises as she bounced away, trying to get them to follow. "I think she wants us to follow her," Jefferey guessed.

"Well, then, let's follow her," Karina said, following the small black fox, Jefferey beside her. Judas didn't follow, staying back.

Myu observed what was going on through the crystals, glad to see the kids of both races getting along. Zorua wasn't the only one reaching out, several of their children were trying to play with the humans' kids. He saw that they were making up several new games, mostly incorporating the abilities of the Pokémon. Hide-and-Seek seemed to be a favorite of several of them, as it required very little communication.

"Myu, you wanted to see us?" Mightyena said as he and Flygon walked up to the Mew.

Myu turned his attention away from the crystal to focus on the two Pokémon. "Yes, I need your help. It has been too long since we've heard from the humans at Fort Riley. After what Seema has told me, I would have expected them to do something by now. I need the two of you to go there and report back on what you find."

"We will not fail you, Myu," Flygon said, giving Myu a small bow, which Mightyena copied as best as he could.

The two of them turned to leave, and Myu found himself alone. He decided to go down and talk to Seema for a while before those two came back.

* * *

Charizard and Pidgeot landed in the remains of London, stretching their wings, grateful for the rest.

"Ah, finally! Three days of non-stop flight from New York to here. We can rest," Charizard said.

Lucario, Infernape and Pikachu were also doing various stretches, trying to get their bodies acclimated to being mobile again.

"Yeah, sitting on dragon back for three days straight isn't very fun," Lucario commented. "No offence."

"None taken," Charizard said.

"So, while we try to get feeling back in our limbs, where do we go Lucario?" Pikachu asked.

Lucario held out his crystal, pointing it in various directions until it glowed brighter. It was pointing to deeper in the city. "That way," he said.

"But… isn't there a huge crater in that direction?" Pikachu questioned.

"Yeah, probably where the missile struck," Charizard confirmed.

"But, that would mean there's nothing there," Infernape said.

"The crystal is pointing that way," Lucario said. "It wants us to go that way."

"Well, then, let's get walking," Pikachu said, his legs no longer numb. The group of five Pokémon began walking in the direction Lucario pointed. They reached the rim of the crater, but the crystal kept pointing that way. They made their way into the crater, following the direction of the crystal's glow. Eventually though, it suddenly went out.

"Wait, what?" Lucario questioned. "What happened?"

"Did we pass it?" Charizard questioned.

Lucario turned around, and the crystal lit up again. He followed it for a few steps, but it went out again. He turned around once again, and it lit up. He stared down at the crystal, confused.

"Myu said that thing was supposed to lead us to what he needed," Charizard said. "But there's nothing here, just a large crater where once stood the center of the city."

"I don't get it," Lucario said. "We must be in the right place, but where could it be leading us?"

"Maybe nowhere," Pikachu suggested.

"Myu wouldn't lead us astray," Pidgeot said. "There must be something here we're not seeing."

"There's nothing here," Charizard insisted. "The missile that hit this place obliterated everything on the surface."

"On the surface," Lucario muttered, an idea popping into his head. While he looked down, the others argued over whether or not there was anything there. Lucario started by pointing the crystal down, and it did glow brighter. He tapped the spot he was standing with his feet and felt something shake. "Down," he breathed. "What we need is down," he said, loud enough for the others to hear. He got down on his knees and started brushing some of the dirt away. Pikachu picked up on it and helped out.

After a few seconds, they revealed a metal panel. Lucario picked it up and found a small room underneath. "This way," he said before leaping through the hole. He landed in the room, which turned out to be an elevator. The doors that led out were closed. "Infernape, I need your help!" he shouted up.

The fire primate leapt down into the elevator and saw the doors. "I see," he said before walking up to one of the doors and began pulling. Lucario helped by pulling the other, but the doors wouldn't budge.

"Charizard!" Lucario shouted up.

"I don't think I can fit through that," Charizard said, pointing at the hole that was only big enough for Lucario and Infernape.

"Just tear the rest of the top off," Pikachu suggested.

Charizard grabbed the top of the elevator and pulled with all his might, the flimsy metal easily tearing apart. He leapt down into the small room. He saw the elevator doors and began to pull, helping Lucario and Infernape. Eventually, they managed to open the doors. They walked into an underground vault, though much of what was down there was severely damaged. Pikachu and Pidgeot followed down, entering the same area.

"Wow, what is this place?" Pikachu asked.

"Seems to be an underground vault," Charizard said.

"Looks like there's some relics down here," Lucario observed.

"Great, but which one do we take?" Pikachu asked.

"Don't know, but this will probably tell us," Lucario said, holding the crystal in his paw. They continued through the vault, Lucario waving the crystal by everything. They were about to stop when the crystal got a lot brighter by an unmarked wood box.

"What's that?" Pikachu questioned.

"Let's find out," Lucario said. "Charizard?"

"Say no more," the pseudo-dragon said. He grabbed the box and laid it on the ground. He forced it open by pulling the lid off. Infernape reached inside and pulled out a vase.

"We came all this way for that?" Pikachu asked.

Infernape reached back into the box and pulled out a slip of paper. "This vase has a depiction of Bennu on it, an Egyptian bird deity that's linked to the sun, creation and rebirth. Some historians believe that this bird was inspired by the Greek Phoenix."

"That's great, but what makes this vase so important?" Pikachu asked.

Lucario stared at the vase before his aura senses picked something up. "Something's in there," he said. Charizard smashed the vase with a single punch. "I didn't say punch it," Lucario complained.

"You said something was in it, I assumed you wanted it open to get what's inside," Charizard defended.

"That doesn't mean… ugh," Lucario sighed. He looked through the broken remains when the crystal turned a fiery red. A piece of the vase glowed the same color. Lucario gently picked it up, and saw a feather poking out of the pottery. He smashed the rest of the piece and picked up the feather. It glowed in all the colors of a rainbow.

"What is that?" Pidgeot asked.

"I don't know, I've never seen anything like this before," Lucario said. He waved it by the crystal, and they were both enveloped in the same fiery red glow. "This is what we need next." He took out the lead box from his bag, placing the feather inside. Once the box was closed, the crystal went out. As Lucario put the box back inside, he saw that they were low on the moss they needed to survive the radiation.

"We need to get back to the Tree," he told everyone.

* * *

A couple minutes later, they were back at the elevator. But before they left, Lucario's aura sensors activated, revealing people outside. Their signatures were not anything he could remember seeing.

"Wait," he said before Pikachu leapt outside. "Someone's outside."

"Who could be out there?" Charizard asked.

"Humans," Infernape suggested.

"Lucario, can you see anything else about them?" Pidgeot asked.

Lucario closed his eyes and focused on the humans he sensed. "There's three of them, and they're carrying large guns."

"Great, how are we going to get out of here?" Pikachu asked, realizing they were trapped.

"I have a plan," Lucario said. "Listen closely, here's what we're going to do…"

* * *

Myu flew above the gathered Humans and Pokémon, scanning them for the blonde-haired woman he called friend. He was so glad to see Humans and Pokémon getting along so well. He knew that they still weren't friends just yet, but the children from both races were playing together, and that did bode well. If they didn't share the animosity of their parents, then they would forge a bond that would last generations. It was why he was pushing for them to interact so much. If the children got along, then their parents would follow.

He eventually spotted Seema among the crowd and flew down to greet her.

" _Greetings, Seema,"_ he said.

"Hi, Myu, why are you here?" she asked.

" _I wanted to spend some time with you if that's alright. In fact, I want to introduce you to someone,"_ Myu answered. _"Follow me."_ He started flying away, gesturing for Seema to follow. He stopped by a stream and told Seema to sit. _"Hope, where are you?"_ Myu asked.

"Who's Hope?" Seema asked when a small blue Pokémon leapt out of the water.

"Hi, father!" she said, excited to see Myu.

"Hello, Hope," Myu said, returning the greeting. _"Seema, this is my daughter Hope. She's a Manaphy,"_ Myu telepathed, introducing the Human to the Pokémon. _"Hope, this is an old friend of mine, her name is Seema."_

"Nice to meet you!" Hope said, extending one of her flippers to Seema. Seema shook her head when she recognized the gesture.

"Oh, um, hi," she said, taking the flipper in her hand and shaking it. "Nice to meet you."

"I said that!" Hope said.

"Hope, Seema can't understand Pokémon. She's a Human," Myu explained.

"Oh, well then…" Hope began, before saying to Seema, "hi, Human!"

Seema fell back in surprise. "Did… did you just speak? In English?" she questioned.

"Yep," Hope said. "My father taught me your language, so I can speak it."

"Whoa, incredible," Seema said. She turned to Myu. "So, who's her mother?"

"I don't have a mother, just a father," Hope answered for him.

Seema looked confused, so Myu decided to explain. _"I created Hope myself. I birthed her egg without a female's help."_

"How? How can you do that?" Seema questioned. It didn't seem possible to her. In her mind, only God could create life.

" _I was granted the ability to create and reshape life to my liking. It's a part of being a Mew,"_ Myu answered.

"Where did you get such power?" Seema asked.

" _From the Alpha,"_ Myu answered. _"Humans have known him by several names throughout history. To the Egyptians, he was Ptah, to the Japanese, he was Izanagi, to the Christians, he was Yahweh."_

"That's not very helpful," Seema said. "You could give me a little more accurate description, or maybe his real name."

" _Then call him Archeus,"_ Myu said. _"That's the name I gave to my children."_

"Arch-us?" Seema tried.

" _Archeus,"_ Myu repeated.

"Archaus," she tried again.

" _You're not getting it,"_ Myu said.

"It's hard to pronounce," Seema defended. Myu sighed. "So, Hope, tell me about yourself," Seema asked, deciding to change topics.

"Oh, well, I've lived under my father's care for the past twenty-one winters, and I have the power to control water and currents, though since there's no ocean I can't use that power, and…"

"Wait, twenty-one winters?" Seema questioned.

" _That's how we measure the passage of time. You use years,"_ Myu said.

"I know that, but that means she's twenty-one," Seema said. "But, she doesn't sound any older than Jefferey, and he's eleven. Is she stunted or something?"

"I'm not stunted, I just age slower," Hope said.

Seema was about to say something when Myu spoke up. _"I designed her to age at a slower rate than Humans or even other Pokémon,"_ Myu explained. _"I want to make sure she's fully educated before she becomes an adult. She's probably over ten at her aging rate."_

"Oh," was all Seema said. "Well, is there anything else you want to talk about?"

"How about father talks about how he made the world?" Hope suggested.

" _I'll explain as best I can,"_ Myu said. For the next few hours, he talked to Seema, Hope interjecting every now and then. Eventually, Myu's tale came to an end.

"Wow, I mean I know you're incredible from how the Pokémon act around you, but, wow," Seema said.

" _I offered them a chance to start over, just as I was offered the same chance, and all I asked in return was they listen and learn,"_ Myu said.

"You're not going to talk about how they worship you?" Seema asked.

" _I did not ask for it, so I see no reason to talk about it,"_ Myu answered.

"Oh come on, they act like you are God and the whole world goes around you," she said.

" _I may be a god, but I do not control the world, nor do I command the sun to rise and set,"_ Myu said.

"You even talk like you're God," Seema pointed out.

" _I had to be someone they would respect, so I adopted this speech from the one who made me who I am,"_ Myu said.

"Okay, say what you want, but you act like you're God, and you have to admit, your refusal to outright attack the humans makes you a great deal like Him," Seema joked.

" _The God you speak of is the new version of him. If you truly want to compare me to the Christian God, then I suggest you refer to the Old Testament, for I am more like him,"_ Myu said.

"What's the difference?" Seema asked.

" _The difference, child… is great."_

Before the conversation could continue, they heard a commotion from the Tree. "What's going on?" Seema questioned.

" _I'm not sure. Let's see,"_ Myu said before flying to the Tree.

Seema followed, but was stopped when Hope leapt onto her shoulder. She rolled her eyes before continuing on. When she reached the base of the Tree, there was a massive gathering of Pokémon and Humans, and they seemed to be surrounding something.

Blastoise came up and picked Hope off Seema's shoulder, several other children surrounding her. "Come on, Hope, Myu doesn't want any of the children to see this."

Seema continued on, managing her way through the crowd. She reached the center of this circle, and saw Flygon there, badly injured, and with a bag in his claws, Myu beside him.

"Tell me what happened Flygon," Myu asked soothingly.

"We reached Fort Riley, I was circling above while Mightyena stalked from the ground. Somehow, they knew he was there, because they cornered him and grabbed him before I could help him. I tried to help, but they shot my wings and I crashed," Flygon explained.

"What happened next?" Myu asked.

"They kept asking when we were going to attack, as if they could ever understand us, and their leader, Harold, assumed we were advance scouts to determine if they were weak enough for us to kill them. So, he decided to send a message to us," Flygon continued.

"What's in the bag?" Seema asked, wanting to know what they were saying.

Flygon's eyes teared up when she asked that.

"Flygon, where's Mightyena, what happened to him?" Myu asked soothingly. Zoroark walked closer when she heard her mate's name.

"He said only one of us was needed to deliver the message, so he said he would spare me, but Mightyena…" Tears continued to well up, Myu encouraging him to continue. "They hauled him away, but not so far that I couldn't see them shoot him several times." He started to sob. "But they didn't stop there…" He couldn't continue as he held the bag up.

Myu peered inside, and sadly sighed at what he saw.

"My mate, where is he?" Zoroark demanded, grabbing the bag and looking inside before Myu could stop her. She dropped the bag and fell down, catching herself on her paws. "No, no!" she cried, sobbing.

"What's going on?" Seema asked.

" _The Humans decapitated Mightyena,"_ Myu said bluntly, wanting to get it over with as fast as possible. The Humans were shocked to hear that, but not so much as the Pokémon. They were in a mix of fury and sadness. Some roared to the skies in anger.

Seema knelt down to hug Zoroark, trying to help console her. "I'm sorry Zoroark," she said. "I know what its like to lose someone you love."

"It's not just that, they've condemned him to a fate worse than death," Zoroark sobbed, which Myu telepathically translated. Seema gave Myu a questioning glance, so he explained.

" _We believe that so long as the body remains, the soul remains tethered here, too. We burn the body so the soul can pass on. But if the body is desecrated, then the soul will be in pain until the body is destroyed. Condemning a body to a slow decay is considered disrespectful to the soul but damaging it after death is sacrilege. Mightyena's soul will remain in this world until we burn his body."_

Seema hugged the sobbing black fox, understanding why she was upset. She tried to make sense of this belief and realized that the Pokémon believed in a life after death, but unlike most religions, they believed that the body had to be burned so they could go to the afterlife. Damaging it after death was considered to be torturous to the soul, and the soul couldn't pass on until they burned the body. Zoroark wouldn't stop being sad until they did just that; find Mightyena's body and burn it.

Seema looked around and saw that the other humans had understood Myu's telepathy, and they were sympathizing with Zoroark.

 _Myu's lesson._ Seema thought to herself. _Altruism is to sympathize with another being and do everything you can to make them happy again._ "I promise Zoroark, we'll find your mate's body and bring it back so it can be burned," Seema told the fox.

Zoroark looked up into Seema's eyes to try and detect any trace of lie. Finding none, she leaned into the girl's shoulder, sniffling as the tears lessened. "Thank you," she said.

For once, Seema didn't need the translation. She understood Zoroark's words well enough.

* * *

The soldiers in London were hesitant to enter the center of the city, knowing that radiation could linger for quite a while. But it had been twenty years, so it was probably safe.

"So, where do you think these intruders are?" one of them asked.

"Don't know, but the commander said they landed somewhere nearby," another answered.

"I think it was just a glitch in the radar," a third commented. "What kind of plane could be that small and reach this land?"

"One with a great fuel supply?" the first offered.

"Keep an eye out," the second said. "If the jet landed nearby, then the pilots are here somewhere."

"I still don't think there's anything here," the third said. Just then, Pikachu leapt out and into the air, firing out scattered bolts of electricity to confuse the soldiers. They tried to look at him, but the bright yellow color of his fur caused them to hesitate.

"What is that thing?" the first asked.

"Maybe some kind of mutant rat?" the third suggested.

"Don't question what it is, shoot it!" the second shouted. He held his gun and prepared to shoot Pikachu when it suddenly flew out of his hands, surrounded by a dark blue glow.

"Okay, that's freaky," the third commented, giving Pikachu enough time to ram into him, and slashed his tail, which turned to steel, at the gun, slicing it in two.

"What is that thing?!" the second shouted.

Infernape leapt out, turning into a flaming wheel and smashing into the first soldier, grabbing his gun away before whacking the second soldier with it like a club.

"Alright, they're out!" Pikachu shouted.

From the hole the two came out of, Pidgeot and Charizard flew out, Lucario riding on Charizard's back. Pidgeot swooped around to let Pikachu and Infernape hop on before they flew away.

The first soldier recovered and tried to shoot them, but the two fliers spiraled to avoid getting shot before making a sharp turn.

"You're not bad for a bird," Charizard told Pidgeot.

"Thanks," she said.

"So where do we go next?" Pikachu asked.

"The Tree, we need to get more moss," Lucario said.

"Okay, but we're taking the long route," Charizard said. "The one that involves more rest and no non-stop flying for three days."

"Fine, but we need to get back to the Tree as soon as possible," Lucario agreed. The two fliers angled themselves to go northwest, intending to go through Greenland and Canada before going back to America, and the Tree of Beginning.

 **End of Chapter 6**

 **Read and Review**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - Twilight - Dec 25  
**


	8. Chapter 7 - Twilight

A World Reborn - Twilight

Lucario and his group were flying back to the Tree of Beginning. It had taken several days, but they had gotten a couple things they needed for whatever Myu was planning. But they had run out of a food they needed to survive the radiation. They had to return to the Tree to get more. They could see the towering mountain in the distance and were glad to see the streams and forests they called home.

"We're back," Charizard commented when they passed the mountains that marked their border.

"Yeah, but we're gonna have to leave again soon," Pikachu noted.

"Let's just hope where we have to go next isn't to far away," Pidgeot said.

"I wonder what's happened since we left," Lucario spoke up.

"Probably nothing, I'd bet on it," Pikachu said confidently.

* * *

Underneath the Tree, Pokémon and Humans walked about, coexisting better than they had a few days ago. Seema was also trying to help two Pokémon figure out how to enter Fort Riley to retrieve the remains of Mightyena. She had a crudely drawn map of the base etched onto the ground.

"So, you guys know where to go now?" she asked. She got a yip and squeak in response. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

" _It was a 'yes',"_ Myu telepathed, observing the planning. _"I'm still glad that Zoroark is willing to go so soon after her mate perished."_

"I have to go," Zoroark said. "We knew each other even before you gave us this new life. I should be there to retrieve his body and lay it to rest."

"You sure it's okay for only us to go?" Lopunny asked.

" _A smaller force will be able to get in and out decently enough. Zoroark's illusions should be able to hide you both from any Human detection,"_ Myu said, doing it telepathically so Seema understood. He glanced up and saw two silhouettes approaching. A quick psychic scan revealed who they were. "Oh no."

"What's wrong Myu?" Seema asked.

" _You need to stay out of sight, and make sure the other Humans do the same,"_ was all Myu said before flying off. Seema decided to follow him.

"Myu told you to hide," Lopunny said.

Seema didn't understand the words, but she understood the tone. "I want to know what's going on." She continued to follow Myu.

* * *

Myu met Charizard and Pidgeot as they landed, their passengers hopping off.

"Greetings, Lucario," Myu said. "What brings you back so soon?"

"We ran out of that moss you gave us," he answered. "And you said to come back if that ever happened."

"That stuff tastes bad by the way," Pikachu said. "Have your next batch taste better."

"I'm afraid that altering the taste would alter its ability to make you immune to the radiation," Myu said.

"Well, we got two things you needed," Lucario said, reaching into the bag he carried. He pulled out the lead box and opened it up to reveal the two things they got; a vial containing blue fur and a rainbow feather.

"Ah, excellent," Myu said, taking each item in his paws. "Remain here while I go make more moss."

"I was thinking of taking a little walk around, actually," Pikachu said. "It's been days since I got to walk on grass. I intend to savor it before we go back out there."

"No, you must remain, I insist," Myu said.

"Why?" Lucario questioned. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were nervous. But that would be ridiculous."

It was then that Seema walked up, startled to see five Pokémon standing there, including Lucario.

Charizard spotted her and remembered the human that went with his mate Sceptile. Rage built up as he stared at her. "You," he said venomously. He charged at her, fist raised. Seema backed up at the threatening move. But before Charizard could reach her, he suddenly froze, a blue glow surrounding him.

" _Charizard, calm down,"_ Myu said, focusing on the pseudo-dragon with his psychic powers while using telepathy so Seema could understand.

"Calm down? She's responsible for my mate's death!" Charizard roared.

" _That wasn't her fault!"_ Myu said.

"She went with her, and Sceptile came back with a bullet in her heart. It doesn't take a genius to figure out she had a hand in it!" Charizard roared again. He furiously fought against Myu's hold, but it was useless. The Mew was just too powerful.

" _She had nothing to do with it!"_ Myu insisted. A crowd was gathering, curious about the noise. The Humans were shocked to see a Pokémon frozen, with a threatening fist raised at Seema.

"Let me go, Myu! You said it yourself. Humans must be destroyed!" Charizard shouted, still fighting.

" _That's not how we do it!"_ Myu said, his voice getting louder with each word. _"We're offering these Humans one last chance!"_

"One last chance?!" Charizard asked incredulously. "They don't deserve it! They deserve to burn for everything they've done. They killed my parents, they killed our world, and they killed my mate! Let me go so I can avenge them!"

" **Enough!** " Myu shouted, and with a flick of his tail, Charizard was telekinetically flung into a rock wall. All the Pokémon cringed, not just at what Myu did to Charizard, but because for the first time, they heard him shout. The Mew's features were filled with anger, and it scared them. _"It's not your place to decide who lives and who dies,"_ Myu berated the Charizard. _"We do not take lives for any reason, especially not for vengeance. That is what separates us from Humans. We will not kill for any reason. And if we do, we do not deserve life."_

Charizard flinched at Myu's words, knowing there was truth to them. Seema saw what was going on and walked up, despite Myu's protests. "I think I understand what's wrong. Sceptile was your mate, wasn't she?" Charizard nodded. "I'm sorry for what happened. She was a great woman and didn't deserve to die. But I didn't do that. I tried to save her, but our leader Harold wouldn't let her leave alive." Seema walked closer to Charizard as he got up. She could tell he didn't believe her. "If you truly think I killed your mate, then go ahead and avenge her, and kill me." Myu started to protest, but Seema raised a hand to silence him. "If you think it would bring her back, then I will trade my life for hers. But before you do, ask yourself this; do you think she would forgive you if you killed, when it's clear that's not what you're supposed to do?" She spread out her arms, making herself and easy target. "Go ahead, make your decision."

Charizard raised a clawed hand, his claws enveloped in draconic energy. He tried to strike her, but her words held him back. Would Sceptile forgive him for doing this? She had loved life and always tried to save it where she could. It was the reason he loved her. But if he knowingly took a life, would Sceptile forgive him for it? Eventually, with a snort, his lowered his claw, deciding against killing her, settling for just roaring at her face. But he was still mad and needed to calm down. He flew off into the forest, intending to take out his frustrations on some trees.

"Oh, that was scary," Seema said, lowering her arms. She took a single step before she became lightheaded and the world spun around her. She collapsed on the ground, though Myu managed to catch her before she fell flat on her face.

"Lucario!" Lopunny said in joy, running up and hugging him now that the tense moment had passed. He chuckled at being reunited with her.

"Hey, Lopunny, did you miss me?" he asked her.

"Sure did, it's been days," she responded. "A lot has happened since you left."

"I can see that," he said, referring to the humans that were mixed in with the Pokémon. "What's happened to cause this many Humans to live with us?"

"I think Myu could answer that," she said.

"Actually, I need to make sure Seema's alright," Myu said. "You can tell then what's happened." He teleported away with Seema.

"Well then, you four should find a place to sit, this could take a while," Lopunny suggested.

"I'm sure we have a tale just as epic as you do," Pikachu said.

* * *

Judas walked away from both groups, having just witnessed Myu's display of power. He needed to inform Harold of this. Once he was far enough away that he was sure no one would hear him, he pulled out the radio and turned it on.

"Harold, Harold are you there?" he spoke into the receiver.

"Yes, Judas, what is it?" a voice came from the other end.

"I just saw something that you need to know. I told you about the Pokémon leader, this blue cat named Myu," Judas began.

"Yes, you said he could teleport and use telepathy," Harold said back.

"Well, I just saw him do something that took my breath away. He managed to stop a dragon that was much bigger than him," Judas told Harold.

"What? How did he do that?" Harold asked skeptically.

"I don't know. It looked like he did it with his mind," Judas answered.

"Telekinesis?" Harold wondered. "If he could stop a dragon, what else could he do?"

"What should we do?" Judas asked.

"You informed us about that pair of Pokémon that were heading here, and it allowed us to send them a message. I think now we should demoralize them. We must kill their leader," Harold informed.

"How?" Judas asked.

"It's best if you don't know, so Myu won't know," Harold said. "Keep me updated."

"Okay," Judas responded as he turned the radio off.

* * *

Myu sat in his hollow, Seema resting on a moss bed. He had checked her over, and she seemed to be alright. He guessed she just passed out from the shock of almost being executed. He was glad she wasn't dead. He was also impressed she had the courage to stand up to Charizard like that. Usually the only one brave enough to do that was Feraligatr.

She had many qualities that he had liked when they were kids. It seemed that time and age had tempered many of them, and got rid of some of her less… savory characteristics. He thought about it, and she seemed to need no further lessons. In fact, he was certain that she was worthy of the greatest gift he could give. But… would she want it?

He sighed as he looked her over. He had always wanted a friend when he was a kid, and for a long time, she was the only one he had. But then she went away, and that ended. For a while, he even sought a mate like any other, but age and wisdom had stamped that desire out of him.

Or at least he thought.

Now, he wasn't sure. Old feelings for this female had resurfaced, and it seemed that continued contact with her only strengthened them. He knew that these feelings were what led to him allowing the humans their final chance, but in a way, he was glad for it. But at the same time, he was annoyed by them. These feelings he had for her were distracting, and he feared that they could inhibit them. He was supposed to remain pure of these feelings. No love for anyone but his children.

Myu knew that there was a force at work beyond any mortal's comprehension, and the one who gave him this form and powers said that he could control it to some extent. He had told Myu that if he did what was bid of him, he would be rewarded. So why was this female here? It couldn't be coincidence that out of all the humans that died, she was one that survived. She, who he had befriended him since they were young. She, whom he had liked for several years. She, who had broken his heart and made him swear never to fall in love again. Why did fate dictate she survive and find him again? What made her so special that she would enter his life again after he broke ties with her?

Then something clicked in his mind. What if _she_ was his reward? He had never asked for anything and hadn't really expected any reward. He even said that a reward wasn't necessary. Simply becoming this was enough for him. But perhaps the one who gave him this also gave him Seema. Was he supposed to fall in love with her and mate with her? But she was Human, a mortal, doomed to one day die. How was a few years of bliss a reward? But then something else clicked. He knew he had the power to change others. It was one of his powers. And he was told that this power's only limit was his imagination, which was boundless. If she wanted, he could give her the same gift that was bestowed on him years ago. And it would actually solve a problem that would arise after Lucario's mission was complete.

With these new thoughts in mind, he came closer to her, and allowed his paw to graze her cheek. It was very soft. If she was to be his mate, then he would make most of the time they had. He trailed a single digit down her cheek to her neck, down her shoulders and down her arms. He ended at her hand, where he felt the features of her skin. The act was enough to rouse her unconscious mind.

"Oh, what happened?" she asked.

" _You fainted,"_ Myu said bluntly.

"Oh, that's embarrassing," she said, a blush coming to her cheeks.

" _Not at all. It was actually impressive you held out for as long as you did. Not many are willing to go up against Charizard, and even fewer would put their lives at risk like that,"_ Myu said.

"Oh, thanks," Seema said. She realized that Myu was touching her hand, and jerked it away, the blush deepening. She sat up and realized she was back at Myu's hollow. "Why did you bring me here?"

" _I wanted to make sure you were fine,"_ Myu answered.

"Um, thanks again?" she said, though it came out more as a question. She didn't understand why Myu was being so nice to her. "So, how come those five were never around when we were here?" she asked, changing topics.

" _I had them retrieving a few things,"_ Myu answered.

"For what?" Seema asked.

Myu sighed. _"I suppose I can tell you now, as their mission is almost complete. I had them go to several places to collect items of power to forge a powerful tool."_

"What will this 'tool' do?" Seema asked.

" _When used in the Heart of the Tree of Beginning, it will enhance my powers of creation to planetary levels, allowing me to reshape the planet however I desire."_

"Whoa, you can do that?" Seema asked, stunned.

" _With this tool complete, yes."_

"But wait, what will happen to what's already on the planet?" she asked, worried.

" _You have nothing to fear. So long as you are in the Tree, you will be unaffected. Though everything else will be destroyed to make way for the new life I shall seed."_

"So… that's why you aren't sending your Pokémon to war. Why fight the Humans when you can destroy them with a thought?"

" _Yes. I would appreciate it if you kept that secret. I don't want the others finding out yet."_

"Your secret's safe with me," Seema assured.

* * *

Early the next morning, Myu met Lucario's group with the bag, filled with more moss and the lead box.

"So, what do we get next?" Lucario asked.

"Actually, you have all you need, save this," Myu said, handing the bag to Lucario. He flew up to the rock wall and touched it with a paw. A spot on the Tree began to glow, and when Myu pulled his paw back, a long rod made from wood was in it. "This comes directly from the Tree of Beginning and will be the stave used for the Staff of Creation."

"The Staff of Creation?" Pikachu questioned.

"It will be the tool I need to rebirth the world. Use this, along with the items you collected and the crystal around Lucario's neck to create the tool I need."

"Great, how do we do that?" Lucario questioned.

"You are key to the forging process," Myu told Lucario. "You must take these items to a particle accelerator and place them inside. Activate the device and use your powers to merge the objects together."

"A particle accelerator! I've always wanted to see one!" Pikachu cheered. "So we take these things to the nearest one and make your Staff?"

"No I'm afraid. You need a very powerful one to properly power the Staff. And there's only one that powerful left; the Large Hadron Collider," Myu explained.

"That sounds important," Lucario said.

"That's because it's the world's largest and most powerful particle collider," Pikachu explained. "And its in Geneva." The others looked at him with blank expressions. "Switzerland."

"Across the world? I don't think we can do another trip that long," Pidgeot said.

"I will teleport you there, but you must find your own way back," Myu said. "Gather close."

Lucario slung the bag over his shoulder and held the large stick with one paw. They were surrounded by a blue bubble before the scenery lit up. When it faded, they were in an underground structure.

"I guess we're here. Pikachu, you know this place better than we do. Where do we go?" Lucario asked.

"I'm not sure. Let's just walk and hope we come to a control box," he answered. The group of five Pokémon began walking, hoping that it didn't take too long.

* * *

When the sun rose, Lopunny and Zoroark got up, ready for their journey to Fort Riley to retrieve Mightyena's remains. But they stayed long enough to hear the birds' morning song. It had started long ago; the Pokémon had wanted to find some way to praise Myu for everything he had done for them, but he insisted they didn't need to do anything. Unwilling to take that for an answer, they came up with the perfect way to praise him; a song the birds sung every morning, just for him.

"Peace was gone, it had been spurned

And so the world flashed and burned

For death had come in spears of white

And the world trembled in fright

The sky was red, the ground was black

The air was filled with scrap and flack

The rain came down a sickly green

And no more hope was ever seen

Then came an awesome sight to behold

A little creature with power untold

He offered peace and a new life

With no more anger and no more strife

He turned us and saved us solely

And taught us to be pure and holy

He created a Tree that would break ground

For us, a new world soon to be found

The First gave us lessons to learn

And our spirit we now did earn

And we, the kin of his congregation

Gave rise to a whole new generation"

Lopunny and Zoroark prepared to depart, but the birds continued to sing. They had added two new verses, and they wanted to hear it.

"Then we met ones who came before

And our hatred it then did soar

Because the world they once did blight

We turned a blind eye to their plight

But then she came and did strongly plead

That we help them in their time of need

So we tried to forgive and forget

And a friendship we forever set"

Lopunny and Zoroark spent a couple minutes wondering if there was any more, but the birds quieted. With the song over, the two females ran off into the forest, their mission clear.

* * *

"Are we really sure it's still safe here?"

Judas was causing quite a commotion. He knew Harold was going to be making an attempt on Myu's life soon, and he knew that the Pokémon weren't going to be happy with that. He hoped he could convince everyone to leave and go back to Fort Riley.

"Judas, I'm sure you're overreacting," Mike, his father, said.

"I don't think I am. Just yesterday, we saw that dragon almost kill Seema!" he protested.

"It's not surprising," Seema said, walking up. "He did blame me for his mate's death. It's only natural he'd want revenge. But Myu stopped him."

"That only proves my point. If Myu could do that to a dragon, imagine what he could do to us!"

Some of the humans murmured in agreement.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Myu wouldn't hurt us," Seema said.

"How can you be so sure? I get the distinct feeling he's keeping something from us, and that doesn't really spell trust," Judas defended.

"He's secretive because we aren't exactly trustworthy. Just about any Pokémon you ask will agree that we caused the Earth to become the barren wasteland it is now. It will take them a while to trust us," Seema said, trying to be the voice of reason.

"But we had nothing to do with that! What did we do to destroy the Earth?" Judas questioned.

"We're guilty because we're _human_. We are just as responsible because of our negligence to see what was happening to the world, and we let a few corrupt individuals destroy the world instead of trying to stop them."

"Myu is still very powerful. What stops him from using his powers on us?" Judas questioned.

Seema was about to say something when Myu appeared. "Myu, what are you doing here?" she questioned.

" _I couldn't help but overhear your discussion, along with every Pokémon in earshot,"_ he answered, gesturing to the crowd of Pokémon nearby. _"To answer your question, Judas, I don't use my powers on others, for that is not what they're meant for. They are made to create, not harm. Charizard pushed me though, for I do not condone the death of any helpless individual."_

"You say that, yet you were willing to let us die when we originally asked for help," Judas accused.

" _I did not believe it would help anyone to let so many Humans live with us, as the memory of our world destroyed is still fresh in our minds,"_ Myu said. _"I have been trying to teach my children to be a peaceful people, and if I let you mingle with them, I feared it would undo my hard work."_

"He's got a point, you know," Seema pointed out.

"That's irrelevant," Judas said. "I don't think you've done a good job trying to teach them to be peaceful. After all, that dragon nearly killed Seema yesterday."

" _His anger is justified, though his reaction was unacceptable. His anger is borne from an unstable childhood, for he was orphaned at a very young age. He has learned to control his temper well enough, and he held back even when Seema offered herself to him,"_ Myu said.

Meanwhile, hidden in the trees, a Human was situating himself in the branches of a tree, setting up his rifle to kill Myu. The creature was so small though, it was almost impossible to hit him. So he spent several minutes adjusting his gun, for he would only get one shot before the Pokémon saw him and attacked.

"How do you know you can control them all as well as him? It's only a matter of time before you attack us!" Judas said.

" _That is not our nature, and we have no need,"_ Myu defended.

"Why? Why don't you try anything, and how do we know you're not gearing your 'people' for an attack on Fort Riley?" Judas questioned.

"He doesn't need too," Seema spoke up. "He and his kind have other ways. Just now, he's sending Lucario and several others to get a powerful called the Staff of Creation, and when he uses it, the world will be reborn."

" _Seema!"_ Myu berated. She wasn't supposed to say anything. Seema looked away guiltily, but her eyes caught the flash of something in the trees.

"Staff of Creation?" Judas asked.

Seema looked harder, and saw the barrel of a rifle though the branches. And it was pointed at Myu!

"Sniper!" she shouted before the Human took his shot. Seema tackled Myu, sending them both to the ground, the bullet hitting her arm.

The sniper tried to crawl down from the tree, but he was grabbed by several vines and roughly hauled into the clearing, at the feet of a large dinosaur-like creature with a massive flower on it's back.

Myu pushed Seema's arms off him, causing her to gasp in pain and grip her injured arm. Myu saw the hole and was worried for her. He placed his paw over the wound and concentrated, pulling the bullet out, before focusing his power on her wound. And to everyone's astonishment, it mended. Seema touched the spot on her arm, in awe that there was no pain or trace of injury. But before she could ask Myu how he did that, he turned to the sniper. The Human grabbed his gun to try again, but Myu flicked his paw and it flew into Venusaur's vines.

" _What are you doing here?"_ Myu questioned.

"I'm not going to say anything," the soldier fiercely said.

" _Then I will probe your mind to find out,"_ Myu said, using his telepathy to infiltrate the soldier's mind. He tried to fight Myu off, but the power of his mind was immense, easily breaking down his mental barriers.

" _So, you were sent to kill me?"_ Myu observed. _"Harold fears how powerful I am, and because of that he believes I must be assassinated to send my children into chaos."_

"How would he even know you're that powerful?" Seema asked. "You've almost never demonstrated your powers in front of us."

Myu's eyes fell on Judas. _"You've been wary of us since you first saw us. Did you have something to do with this?"_

"No!" Judas defended.

"Myu, my son would never betray you!" Mike defended his son.

Myu didn't believe either of them. He concentrated on the teen's pockets, and telekinetically pulled out a radio.

"That's an army radio," Seema recognized. "You betrayed us?"

"You're all fools if you think they will ever accept us. They're animals!" Judas screamed.

" _I see only one animal here,"_ Myu said. _"I offered you peace, I showed you mercy, and this is how you repay me?"_ With a clench of his paw, the radio was crushed. _"Is it any wonder now why I don't trust you? I warned you that if you betrayed my trust again, there would be no mercy. You may never return to this place."_

"Myu please, give him one more chance," Mike pleaded.

" _I commend your love for your child, and I can even sympathize. But Judas made his choice, and he stands by it,"_ Myu said. _"I warned you all that there would be no more chances. Judas acted alone, I understand this. So, he alone will suffer the punishment."_ He gestured for the sniper be brought over to the boy. _"I warned that if you betrayed my trust again, there would be no forgiveness. I always keep my word. Judas, never again will you be welcomed in the Tree of Beginning. Farewell."_ And with that, Myu surrounded them in a bubble and teleported them away.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside Fort Riley, Zoroark and Lopunny were sneaking through the barracks, trying to find the morgue.

"This place is like a maze," Lopunny whispered.

"Shh, my illusions make us invisible, but they can still hear us," Zoroark warned.

They came across the door that lead to the morgue. They quietly opened it, searching for the body of Mightyena. They looked under some of the blankets that hid the bodies, even searched the drawers that held the bodies.

Lopunny looked under one of the blankets and found a black-furred leg. "I found him!" she whispered to Zoroark. The black fox came over to check, confirming it was her mate.

"Wrap him in the blanket and let's go," she said. Lopunny did as asked, and once Mightyena's body was off the table, Zoroark created an illusion that showed he was still there. Then they left the base as fast as they could, Zoroark carrying her mate's body.

* * *

Lucario finished putting the materials he had into the collider's main chamber. "Okay, they're in!" he shouted.

Pikachu had place two power cables for the collider on his cheeks, ready to flood the device with energy.

Lucario entered the control box, readying himself to focus his powers on the chamber.

"We ready?" Infernape asked, ready to pull the on switch.

"Standing by to send protons inside," Charizard said, standing by the red tube.

"Ready to power the accelerator," Pikachu confirmed.

"Ready to forge the pieces together," Lucario said, paws stretched out towards the chamber.

"Okay, ready to activate particle collider in… three… two… one!" Infernape pulled the switch just as Pikachu pumped the device full of power. "Fire protons!" Infernape shouted.

Charizard opened the valve, the microscopic particles being directed by powerful electromagnets, and were now being accelerated to light speed.

"Pidgeot?" Lucario asked, the large avian monitoring one of the screens.

"Stand by," she said. "Twenty percent the speed of light. Forty percent the speed of light."

"Once they reach one hundred percent, they'll smash together and create a subatomic explosion," Pikachu informed. "When that happens, it'll be your turn Lucario. Use your Aura powers to merge the parts together."

"Tell me when," Lucario said.

"Eighty percent, ninety percent," Pidgeot continued. The screen started to flash. "They're moving at the speed of light!"

"Redirecting particles to the chamber," Infernape said, pulling another lever. "Now!"

Just as the protons smashed together, Lucario focused, sending his Aura into the chamber. If they could see inside, they would have seen a massive explosion of light. Pidgeot saw one of the monitors go crazy.

"Whoa, that's a big surge!" Pikachu noted. "The explosion mixed with the objects and Lucario's aura are creating particles that no scientist has ever seen."

The event lasted only a second. When it was done, Pikachu cut off the power, and the collider shut down. The five Pokémon left the booth they were in, and hesitantly, Lucario opened the chamber. Inside it was a complete staff, the crystal from Lucario's necklace adorning the top, and the rainbow feather was inside the crystal.

Lucario hesitantly took the object in his paws. "Whoa! I can feel the power coming from this thing. It's… indescribable." He held the staff in the air. "This is the key to a new world."

* * *

Later that night, a crowd of both Humans and Pokémon were gathered around Mightyena's funeral pyre, his body still covered by the same blanket he had been brought in.

Myu floated closer, torch in hand. But before he set it ablaze, he had to deliver a eulogy.

" _It has been a very hard month for us all,"_ he began, using telepathy so the Humans would understand him. _"We discovered that Humans still exist. Now we live with a select few of them who are determined to be better, and we've lost two of our own."_ Myu turned to face the crowd. _"However, despite this tragic loss, there is a certain electricity in the air. I didn't tell you this before because I feared there was someone like Judas among the Humans. But now that danger has passed, and I feel I can share this with you now. I have sent a group of my most trusted Pokémon to retrieve some items to create a powerful tool. I tell you this because I can sense it is complete, and it will soon be delivered to me. When brought here, I will use it to rebirth the world. Gone will be the wasteland that has been outside for so long, and it will be replaced by a new, more beautiful world."_ He paused to let that sink in. The Pokémon seemed excited, while the Humans seemed worried. He needed to asway their concerns. _"You Humans have proven that you are ready to join my children in the new world. You have learned every lesson you need to learn, save one; bravery. Will you brave the end of your world, and brave the new, uncertain one you will find yourselves in?"_

The Humans looked amongst each other, before they nodded in agreement. "We will," Seema answered for them.

" _Then I have nothing left to teach you,"_ Myu said. He turned to the Pokémon. _"I have protected you all for the past twenty years from everything. Radiation, desolation, even each other. Now, you must return it. While I can rebirth the world, I must lower the barrier that keeps the Humans out, and Judas's betrayal has revealed an awful truth; they have a way in. You must protect me, for I will be unable to protect myself. Will you defend me until the new dawn?"_

"You know we will, Myu," Zoroark said. "We will fight to the bitter end for you."

" _Thank you. The Humans will not move on us yet. I have seen it. Harold has been gathering forces from survivors all over the world, preparing to attack us. But it will take them time to gather. They will not move before Lucario returns with the Staff of Creation. We must prepare, for Lucario will return in a few days' time."_

Myu turned to face the pyre once more. _"A new dawn approaches, and though we will not all see it, those that do must carry on. A better world is on the horizon, but for now, we will mourn all that we have lost."_ Myu paused to let the others bow their heads. _"From dust he came, to dust he will return. We continue the cycle of life and death and remain confident that one day we will see him again when our time comes. Until that day…"_ He placed the torch on the wooden spiral, and the pyre was set ablaze. _"As above, so below. In Archeus we trust."_

"We trust," the Pokémon echoed.

"We trust," Seema joined in. Myu flew over to her, placing a paw on her shoulder. "That was a nice speech, Myu."

" _Thank you,"_ he said. _"And thanks for saving my life."_ Seema nodded in understanding. _"Seema, there's something I need to tell you, as well as some things we need to discuss. Come to my hollow later."_

"Okay." They turned and watched the Mightyena's cloaked body burn, the orange flames dancing and little balls of light rising from his corpse.

* * *

Far away, in Geneva, Lucario was running, Staff in hand. Apparently there was a Human military base near the collider, and they were drawn by the sudden power readings. Not appreciating trespassers, they immediately opened fire on his group. As they left the city, Charizard got down, allowing Lucario to hop on his back, Pidgeot already in the air with her passengers. They flew away, heading for the Tree of Beginning and a new day.

 **End of Chapter 7**

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	9. Chapter 8 - Dawn

A World Reborn - Dawn

Seema slowly roused herself from sleep. The sun entered her eyes, nearly blinding her. She rubbed her eyes as they became accustomed to the light. She felt something adjusting on her chest and looked down to see Myu still resting on her, for she had slept with him in his hollow.

She sighed to herself as she remembered what Myu had said to her to get her here with him.

 _It had happened on the night of Mightyena's funeral. He had requested to see her in his hollow after the funeral. She remembered the route well enough and found herself within Myu's hollow._

" _Okay Myu, I'm here. Why did you need to see me?" she asked._

 _Myu faced her, but he seemed uncertain._ "Seema, we have known each other for quite some time, don't you agree?" _he asked telepathically._

" _Are you kidding? We've known each other since we were babies!" Seema joked, though it was true._

"Yes, and you have become quite a beautiful woman," _Myu said. If Seema didn't know him, she would have thought he was hitting on her. But it was simply how he complimented someone; no holding back._ "Which brings me to something I feel I must ask first; why are you still a virgin?"

 _Seema blushed at how forward Myu had been. "What do you mean, how do you know I'm a virgin?"_

"Your scent. All females who are claimed will have a prominent musk on them from their mate, even if it's only once," _Myu explained._ "This scent is absent on you, which means you have never been with a man before."

 _Seema stuttered as she tried to find the words. "Well, I… just… never really got intimate with anyone before," she explained. "I just couldn't bring myself to 'mate' with any man."_

"Even when your species is on the brink of extinction?" _Myu asked._

" _Yes," Seema said. "You're not… mad about that, are you?"_

"Actually, I'm very pleased," _Myu said honestly._ "It means there is nothing to stand in the way of what I want to say."

" _Which is what?" Seema asked._

 _Myu fiddled with his paws, and his tail twitched in nervousness._ "This is going to be rather hard to say, for I have never even attempted it before," _Myu said._ "I've tried to rehearse what to say to you to explain, but nothing seemed good enough. So, I guess I'll just say it."

 _Seema was puzzled by this. What could Myu possibly have to say that would make him this nervous? If he was nervous, someone she equated with God, then it must be big._

"Seema, I love you," _Myu said. What he said took a while to worm its way into the girl's head, so her face slowly went from puzzled to shocked, which made Myu want to laugh. But he held it in, as it would only confuse her further._ "I have loved you for quite some time, but I thought I could wait to say it to you. But then you left, and it broke me. I knew then that it was love. Now you've returned and that love has resurfaced, stronger than ever."

 _Seema eventually shook her head to rid herself of the shock. "You… love me?" she asked, as if to confirm and not to make sure it wasn't some joke._

"Yes, but I didn't realize it because I had no way of knowing what it felt like," _Myu explained._ "I have never, _never,_ felt that kind of emotion before, and I have trained myself to restrict my emotions, so when I matured I didn't notice anything other than a strong desire to be with you."

 _Seema took a couple steps back and put one hand over her face, trying to understand this._

"I know, it's difficult to process," _Myu said._ "But you are, and always have been, the only one I have truly loved."

 _Seema looked up at him, her mind still having difficulty wrapping around what just happened. "Myu, why are you telling me this now?"_

"I will have no greater opportunity than now, and I want to take the time we have left to be together, at least once," _Myu said. Seema could almost hear a pleading tone._

" _Say I say 'yes', what will happen?" she asked._

"Then I will ask that we bond and become mates. But I think you should know, Pokémon do not mate like Humans do. It will be unlike anything you've ever seen," _Myu explained._

" _And if I say 'no'?"_

 _Myu looked saddened by that._ "I will respect your decision and only ask that we remain friends."

 _Seema thought it over in her head. "I don't know Myu, I mean, I'm Human and you're… whatever you are."_

"Mew," _he told her._ "And difference in species makes no difference. I can change you into whatever you desire."

" _So, you can make me look like a Pokémon, but I don't know if…"_

"Not look like, _be._ You would be a Pokémon in body and mind, just as I did to all of my children," _Myu clarified._

 _Seema looked up at that. Could he really do that, permanently? "What Pokémon would I be?"_

"Any Pokémon you desire. You could even be a new one," _Myu answered._

" _Any Pokémon? Completely?" she asked. Myu nodded. "Why offer me this and none of the others?"_

"It isn't necessary. They can survive as they are," _Myu answered._

" _There's something else, isn't there?" Seema asked._

"Yes, but that's for another time," _Myu said._ "But I need an answer to my proposal now."

 _Seema thought it over in her mind. What would the others think, being in love with a Pokémon? But… they weren't really animals. They had proven on multiple occasions their capacity for higher though, and some even seemed to be smarter than Humans. And Myu was probably the wisest of them. Should she do this though? She had always thought that one day she would find that perfect match, but she had always pictured him as Human._

 _But as time went on and she became less naive, she doubted she would find that one for her. She had taken to dating as a means to find love, though it tended to fall flat, especially after the world ended. She had promptly decided to stop dating and never search, as no man left suited her._

 _But here was someone who outright confessed to loving her, and not strictly for her beauty. Better yet, it was someone she already knew, so it cut out the part about learning about him. Maybe… she could at least try. Take it slow at first, and if it didn't work out, well, maybe she could find someone else, someday._

 _That thought ended there, as she realized she probably didn't have much time left. She was forty-five and didn't expect to last much longer due to decreasing health. This could be her only chance at finding love, at spending what little life she had left with someone who genuinely cared for her, and maybe one day, perhaps, have a family._

 _She turned to face him, and Myu asked one last time._ "Will you be my mate, Seema?"

" _Yes." Myu brightened up a great deal at that, flying over to her. "So, how's this work?" she asked._

"Like this," _was all Myu said before he kissed her on the lips._

Seema couldn't quite remember what happened after that, just that they did whatever ritual that 'bonded' them, as Myu put it, and now they were mates. In fact, this was the first night she shared his bed. Myu insisted it, as he felt they truly needed to be together for the bond to cement, especially with what was coming.

She nudged him slightly and he woke. _"Morning,"_ he said before stretching. He flew off of her, going to a bush with ripe berries. He picked a few before flying back over to her. _"Here,"_ he said as he handed her some berries. _"Did you rest well?"_

"You know, we're mates now, you don't have to be so formal with me," Seema said as she ate the berries.

" _It's how I talk now, I can't change it. My apologies,"_ Myu said sincerely. _"I can sense the Staff comes near. It's time."_

Seema stopped chewing. She looked down sadly. "Well, we'd better get ready," she said, forcing herself to cheer up.

" _You get the Humans ready, I'll have Zoroark ready the Pokémon,"_ Myu informed. _"When Lucario comes, escort him to the Heart of the Tree. I shall wait there."_

Seema nodded in understanding."Thanks for spending a night with me," she said.

" _It was a pleasant night, the best I've had in a while,"_ Myu said before flying off. Seema walked out of the hollow and down through the tunnels to tell the others.

* * *

Lucario, Charizard, Pidgeot, Pikachu and Infernape had spent several days trying to get back to America. They realized they had to cross an empty ocean if they went straight west, so they took the same route they used to get back from London instead. Now, after nearly another day of travel, they could see their home in the distance.

"We're almost back!" Pikachu said.

"And when we get back, Myu's gonna fix the whole world," Infernape added.

"And with the Staff of Creation that we're bringing to him," Pidgeot said. "Wonder what the new world will look like."

"Hope it's got endless forests and beautiful oceans," Pikachu said.

"I'm hoping for towering mountains to fly through," Charizard said.

"What about you Lucario? What do you think the new world will look like?" Infernape asked.

"Oh, I don't really have a preference," Lucario said, handling the Staff in his paws. "Although I do hope there's no big cities. I've come to love living in the country. And Lopunny and I were hoping that, if there's no restriction anymore, we could have another kid."

"That's nice," Pikachu said. "I wouldn't mind having a bigger family. After all, we're going to have a whole planet to repopulate."

"Wow. Never thought of that before," Pidgeot said. "We're gonna have some serious baby-making to do over the coming years."

Any further conversation was cut short when they heard a noise like thunder and Charizard swore he heard the air rip right by him. The five Pokémon looked down and saw a massive army of troops beneath them.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Pikachu blurted. The two flying Pokémon started complex aerial maneuvers just as a hail of bullets was fired at them.

"Where did they come from? And where are they going?" Infernape shrieked, holding on for dear life.

"No clue where they came from but I can tell you where they're going!" Pikachu said. Using one paw, he pointed at the mountain range that surrounded their land.

"Why would they head there? They know Myu put a protective barrier around it!" Charizard questioned.

"Oh no. I didn't realize it before!" Lucario said out loud.

"What?" Infernape asked.

"Those Humans; they came to our land _after_ Myu put the barrier up, which means…"

"They found a way in. But how…" Pidgeot began when she remembered one Human they cut free. "The tunnel that female used to leave! They came through that!"

"And the Humans are going to invade our home by going through it!" Pikachu concluded.

"We have to get there first and warn them!" Lucario shouted.

"Ahh!" Charizard shouted out. He looked over to his right wing and saw a small hole in it.

"Charizard!" Lucario shouted in concern.

"I'm okay, it's only a little hole," Charizard grunted. They continued their maneuvers, but Charizard was starting to slow down. While the hole was small, it was painful, and the pain was distracting him from flying right. Before long, Lucario noticed the difference in speed.

"Speed up Charizard!" he shouted.

"I can't. It hurts too much." Charizard looked over to Pidgeot. "Take Lucario, get him to the Tree!"

"There's no room on my back!" she said.

"Then we'll make the room!" Infernape said, leaping on Charizard's back. Lucario jumped onto the vacant spot on Pidgeot's back. "Keep going! We'll catch up!" Infernape assured.

"Full speed, Pidgeot!" Lucario ordered. Pidgeot put on more speed and a silver trail was left behind in her wake. They both passed the mountains and they heard the bullets stop pursuing them. "Keep going!"

Pidgeot never wavered in her speed, pulling far ahead of Charizard.

"Let's just hope we're not too late," Charizard said.

* * *

"Hold fire, hold fire!" Harold shouted to the soldiers. "There's no point trying to shoot them when they're past the mountains."

"So, those are the animals we have to kill?" a soldier asked. "They're kinda… scary."

"And crafty, so be careful," Harold advised. It had taken several weeks, but he managed to get enough soldiers for an invasion of the Pokémon's land. But that had been unexpected; a small group of Pokémon outside the mountains. He had ordered them shot in case they had spotted Harold's army, but they had escaped and now would tell all the other Pokémon of the coming invasion. He could only hope that it would take them a while to form any kind of defense. "Double-time men, let's move!"

* * *

At the Tree of Beginning, the Humans and Pokémon were moving their things to be inside the Tree. Myu warned that anything outside could be obliterated, so they had to move inside. They had also been practicing for the last few days what to do in a combative scenario, and the Humans proved to be very helpful in that regard. Though many of them couldn't fight, the Pokémon could, so they were advised where the armor was weakest, how a given soldier might fight, and how to disarm their guns.

The Pokémon also set up a guard around their Nursery, where several eggs had yet to hatch and moved all their children there. The Pokémon emphasized to the Humans that no matter what happened to them, the eggs and children must survive, for they were the future.

Seema was happy to see their two races getting along. She even could see some friendships among the populace. As she looked further, she could see two dots that were growing bigger, one of them faster than the other. She eventually realized they were Pokémon and the bigger dot she recognized as the large avian Pokémon she had seen the other day. She spotted Lucario on her back, and he was holding something in his paws.

Pidgeot was coming in so fast though, that many others that spotted her thought she was going to crash into them. Just before she could slam into the ground, she flapped her mighty wings and stopped. Lucario hopped off, landing gracefully on the ground.

" _Humans!"_ he telepathed. _"We saw soldiers approaching!"_

After he said that, many of the Pokémon talked to themselves, concerned that the Humans were here.

"How many did you see?" Seema asked.

" _Don't know, had to flee before they shot us down. But there are a lot of them. That I do know,"_ Lucario answered.

"Where's the dragon… um… Charizard?" Seema asked.

" _A bullet got his wing. He's still on his way, but Pidgeot is faster and Infernape switched places with me,"_ Lucario answered.

"Do you have the Staff?" she asked. Lucario answered by holding up the wood stick in his paws. "Okay, Myu needs you to bring it to the Heart of the Tree. He's shown me where it is, so follow me!" She turned and ran, Lucario behind her. "Pidgeot, Myu wants you and the others of your group to help move the children to the Nursery then guard as many passages into the Tree you can," Seema shouted back as she and Lucario entered one of the tunnels.

A few minutes later, Charizard came in, landing as best he could. Infernape hopped off and the two of them were quickly given the jobs they needed to do.

* * *

Harold and his army found the tunnel through the mountains. "This is it!" He turned to face his troops. "Now we go through this tunnel into a thriving land. The… creatures… that live here have rejected us. They think they are a superior race and can ignore us! But we are going to show them how wrong they are. We're going to invade their land and kill them all, before they have the chance to destroy us. Tonight, these animals end, and the human race survives."

Many of the soldiers cheered, ready to follow him and kill the monsters.

* * *

Deep inside the Tree, Seema and Lucario ran as fast as they could. They took every turn needed, and they found one last bend that led to the Heart.

"Yes, yes, I know."They heard Myu's voice up ahead. They turned around the bend and saw the tunnel that lead to the Heart. Though they both knew the path, neither of them had seen the Heart before. They stopped just before they could enter the large cave. It was lined with clear crystals. Myu was up at the ceiling, touching a large crystal on the roof. "Take care of her for me."

"Myu," Lucario spoke.

Myu turned to see him and his eyes fixated on the staff in Lucario's paws. _"You have it."_ Myu said it like a statement, as if he had no doubt.

" _Yes,"_ Lucario telepathed, knowing Seema would want to know what they were saying.

" _Well, enter,"_ Myu gestured for Lucario to enter this place.

Lucario hesitated, unsure if he should. Seema could understand. She may not be a Pokémon, but she could still _feel_ this part of the Tree. It was the most sacred ground there was, and neither she nor Lucario felt as if it was appropriate for them to even set foot there. Eventually Lucario worked up the courage, and step by step walked into this chamber.

Myu still hovered at the top, waiting for Lucario to present the Staff.

" _I have the Staff of Creation, but there are several Humans marching on our home,"_ Lucario said.

" _I know, I saw it some time ago. They must not reach the Heart. If the process is interrupted, the world will forever suffer,"_ Myu informed.

" _I will stay just outside to defend you from anyone who will try to enter,"_ Lucario said. He went to one knee, holding the Staff out.

Myu stretched an arm out, and the Staff levitated out of Lucario's paws, flying to Myu. Seema could almost have sworn that it got smaller as it got closer to Myu, befitting a being of his stature.

" _Now behold, for a new dawn is upon us!"_ Myu declared, blue power gathering between his paws. _"One world heals, and the other… dies!"_ With a gesture, Myu sent the staff down, landing end-first in an outcropping of crystals. _"A world reborn!"_

The crystal on the head of the Staff began to glow with blue-gold energy, lighting up the surrounding crystals with the same color. Then it fired a blast of blue lighting up at Myu. He became surrounded in a blue aura that matched his fur. His eyes became filled with the same color, making them blend in with the rest of his body. He shot all his limbs out and the lightning flowed out of each limb and went up and struck the crystals on the ceiling.

All the clear crystals in or out of the Tree of Beginning suddenly turned a brilliant blue, filling the night time with a blue light. Soon, every branch, stream and crystal in the Tree of Beginning glowed blue, painting the towering mountain a brilliant blue. The power rippled across the Tree of Beginning, and just as it began to glow like the moon, it fired a beam of blue up into the sky. A pulse of blue power radiated out from the beam, high in the sky, a pulse that radiated around the whole world.

Where the blue light touched, the world reacted. The continents shook and trembled and began to move, faster than they ever had, and in directions they never moved before. Earthquakes broke the ground, landslides reshaped the land, and the mountains crumbled and then rose. Volcanos rumbled and erupted, spewing forth magma from deep within the Earth.

The oceans bubbled and frothed, trembling from the underwater shockwaves as the seabed shaped and reformed. Gigantic whirlpools formed and disappeared and tsunami that grew in height and power pummeled the coasts, further destroying already decimated cities.

The air whipped and swirled as winds larger and faster than ever recorded flew across the world. Clouds formed and swirled, creating hurricanes all over the world that swept across the barren lands, depositing massive amounts of rain all over the world, purifying it of radiation and cloaking the planet in darkness.

* * *

Inside Fort Riley, everyone wondered what happened when a massive earthquake struck the base, shaking it like never before.

Judas ran through the halls, finding his way to the radio room. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Not sure," the operator told him. "I'm patching in Harold."

"What happened?" he asked. "Suddenly the sky was filled with clouds that started pouring rain!"

"We're still trying to figure out what happened," the operator said. "It seems that the tectonic plates are moving at an unusual pace. But what caused this we don't know."

Judas suspected he knew. "Myu," he breathed. "The Pokémon Myu is doing this!"

"I highly doubt one creature is capable of affecting us this way," Harold said.

"He has something; a weapon capable of altering the whole world. Some kind of staff," Judas said.

"What, like Gandalf?" a soldier sarcastically asked.

"I've seen how powerful he is. He could be doing this!" Judas insisted.

"I'm going to go along with the kid," Harold said reluctantly, as Judas had spent more time with the Pokémon. "How do we stop him?"

"I… I don't know. I couldn't learn that before he banished me," Judas said.

"Then we'll find him and kill him. We can see the Tree now," Harold reported.

"Whoa," a soldier said over the radio. "It's… glowing."

"You can't be serious," one of the other soldiers said.

"No joke. It's lit up like a Christmas tree, but it's completely blue," Harold reported. "How do we find Myu?"

"I don't know. All I do know is that he's somewhere in the tree," Judas said. "He lives in some kind of hollow high up in the tree."

"Then we'll focus on storming the Tree. We'll find this cat and shoot him until he is leaking lead," Harold said darkly.

* * *

Inside the Tree, some of the younger Pokémon were whimpering. Although they had seen storms before, none of them were anything like this.

"Mommy, I'm scared," Riolu said, held by Lopunny.

"It's okay, it's okay," she said soothingly. "Myu's protecting us. He promised so long as we stayed in the Tree, we would be safe."

"Safe from those storms," Charizard pointed out. "But what about the Humans heading this way intending to kill us?"

"Not in front of the kids!" Pidgeot reprimanded the lizard. She was sheltering several of them with her wings.

"He's right, though," Pikachu said. "We have to be ready to fight. It's only a matter of time before those Humans get here."

"Then we'd better prepare for battle," Zoroark said. "Those who can fight, get to the entrance. Those who can't, stay with the kids."

The Pokémon began separating themselves out, determining the best partners and ways to defend the nursery. After they got into position, Pikachu saw a bright light down the tunnel.

"They're here," he whispered.

"Maybe if we're real quiet, they'll just pass us by," Flygon suggested.

With this new thought in mind, they began to flatten themselves against the walls, sticking to the shadows as much as they could. They did their best to keep the children quiet, who tried their best to be as quiet in their whimpering as possible.

"Don't see anything this way," one of the soldiers reported.

"There's so many tunnels, how do we know splitting up was the best idea?" another asked.

"It was the only way to make sure we find that blue cat. Now hurry up, I want to find it first!" another said.

The Pokémon gasped when they heard that. They were looking for Myu! Pikachu looked at the soldiers walking by and knew these were only a few of them. If they found Myu, what would happen? He knew he shouldn't go out there. They had the advantage in height and were much more heavily armored than the ones in London. Plus, they were expecting a fight from something like him.

But what choice did he have?

Without thinking, he charged out and rammed into one of the soldiers, knocking him over. Before any of the other soldiers could react, he fired a bolt of electricity at another soldier, paralyzing it. Before he could do anything else, he heard a gun cock. He turned around just in time to see Zoroark slashing the gun that had been pointed at his head with shadowy claws. She slammed into the soldier, pushing him back. And just like that, the fight broke out.

Pokémon charged out of the Nursery to attack the few humans in the tunnel. Once they were knocked out, the Humans from in the Nursery picked up the fallen soldiers' guns.

"We'll protect your kids. Find the rest of these creeps and take them out," Mike said.

"You heard him Pokémon, spread out," Charizard said. "Go through every tunnel and take out every soldier you find."

* * *

In the Heart of the Tree, Myu was still being struck by the lighting that continuously poured from the Staff of Creation and out through his body. Seema and Lucario stood in one of the tunnels, watching what was going on, on guard for any soldiers.

To break the tense silence and help them relax, Lucario decided to talk to Seema. He decided to start on a topic that had been puzzling him since he returned.

" _So, how long have you and Myu been mates?"_ he asked. Seema blushed and stuttered for a while before answering.

"How did you know?" she asked.

" _I can smell his distinct scent on you,"_ Lucario stated.

"Oh yeah, he said that would happen," Seema remembered. "Um, a few days now."

" _I have to be honest, I never thought I would see Myu find a mate. He seems like the kind who would be a bachelor for life and content to be so."_

"I guess he still liked me enough," Seema said.

" _Still?"_

"Well, actually, I knew Myu before the world ended, but that was a different life. For both of us."

" _I know how you feel. I can barely remember what I looked like or was before I became Lucario,"_ he said. _"I don't think I even know what my birth name was."_

Seema seemed slightly saddened but found a silver lining. "In a way, it's actually a good thing. These last twenty years have changed us so much. I don't even use my old name, cause that's not who I am anymore."

" _I understand. Every Pokémon does. We all changed our names when we gained our new bodies because we knew we were going to be a different people. Myu said that changing our names was the first step towards our rebirth into true Pokémon."_

"It must be nice being what you are," Seema said. "Is it nice?"

" _It is. It felt weird at first, but once I accepted what I had become, I was able to adjust to this new skin. Now my tail doesn't even bother me."_

Seema had to laugh at that. Lucario joined her, but it died down when he sensed a malevolent presence approach. It could only be one thing.

" _Humans,"_ he said. _"Stay behind me."_

Seema didn't argue as Lucario got into a fighting stance. He put his paws together before spreading them out, a green bone of energy appearing in his clenched paws. Just as the soldiers rounded the bend, Lucario ran up and whacked two of the three soldiers' guns away. He kicked the third in the gut before swinging his bone and knocking the rifle away. The soldiers tried to punch him, but he whacked one in the head with his bone, then swept the legs of another and aimed a sweeping kick at the third's head, knocking the helmet off. He then whacked him with his bone club so hard the soldier flew into the wall.

One of the others recovered and pulled out a pistol. Seema warned Lucario, and with a twirl of his bone, knocked the weapon away before hitting him with the brunt of the bone, knocking him out.

Seema looked at the damage Lucario had done. He took them all out without killing them.

"Wow! You are one serious fighting type," she said.

Lucario gave her a puzzled expression as he dispelled the bone. _"Fighting type?"_

Seema stuttered as she tried to find the right words, but nothing came up. "You know what, forget it."

Lucario started to walk back to her when there was a loud bang, and a stinging sensation in his shoulder forced him to cover it, before he felt a similar pain in his leg, causing him to collapse.

Seema looked up to see Harold standing there, the end of his pistol still smoking.

* * *

Judas was trying to help some of the men operate the radio, trying to make sense of the various reports coming about storms, earthquakes, tidal waves and volcanic eruptions.

"I just don't see how this many storms can form at once," one of the radio operators said.

"Myu created them," Judas insisted.

"I still don't buy your theory of magical creatures," another said.

"Let's assume what he's saying is correct, and a powerful creature created these storms," someone over the radio questioned. "How would we stop it?"

"Harold's gone into the Tree to try and kill him," Judas said. "That will stop it."

"No wait!" someone said over the radio. "If what you said is true, and a magical creature created these storms, then it would make sense that he's also controlling them."

"Your point?" one of the operators asked.

"If this… Myu… is killed, then there's nothing controlling these storms, and hurricanes of these sizes are self-sustaining. If Myu dies, then they won't vanish, they will only escalate. Our planet could bake with the heat the volcanoes are putting out, and with clouds covering every inch of the world, that heat would be trapped with nowhere to go."

"It's not just heat we have to worry about," another operator said. "With windspeeds this fast and rainfalls this strong and so many lighting strikes, everything on the surface will be obliterated. Cities, building, bases, everything will either get shredded, flooded or scorched. Everything we've built in the last forty-thousand years will be gone."

"You have to stop Harold from killing Myu. If he does, these storms will only rage out of control until the whole world is flooded, and all of human civilization is wiped away," the person from before advised.

"Kid! Raise the soldiers!" the operator told Judas.

He desperately tried, but they were too deep within the mountain to reach.

* * *

The Pokémon desperately fought against the soldiers. Disarming them of their guns proved to be smart, but it didn't render them helpless. Every soldier also had a short dagger for close quarters fighting, making them dangerous.

But the tide would turn soon enough. Pikachu had resorted to fighting one of the soldiers with his hardened tail, deflecting each swipe, but he knew he was tiring out. One swipe by the human connected with a crystal, cutting part way into it before the knife got stuck. The soldier tried to pull it free, but the crystal suddenly became yellow before it turned gelatinous and began consuming the dagger. The soldier let go of the dagger, bewildered by what he saw.

But the crystal started to take on a more creature-like shape, moving towards the soldier. It moved slow at first before suddenly lunging at the human and surrounding it in the yellow gel-like substance. The human desperately fought back, but the yellow gel-crystal slowly consumed the human before nothing was left. It then went back to its spot in the tree, become a blue crystal yet again.

Pikachu was still frozen where he had landed, unable to process what had happened. This gave a soldier the opportunity to sneak up on him. He raised his gun and prepared to shoot before the gel-like substance dropped from the ceiling, right on him. He screamed, grabbing Pikachu's attention as he desperately tried to fight back against the living gel as it consumed him. When it was done, it melted into the ground, leaving nothing behind.

All across the tree, the Pokémon's battles with the soldiers were brought to an end when the crystals came to life, taking on the shape of unrecognizable creatures to consume every soldier. No amount of cutting, running, hacking or shooting did them any good. One by one, the humans were consumed by the crystal-creatures. Nothing of them remained behind.

* * *

Harold held Seema at gunpoint, firmly placing his foot on Lucario's back to prevent the Pokémon from trying to get up.

"Step aside, Seema," Harold calmly stated.

"No."

"Step aside now!"

"I don't take orders from you anymore," Seema stated.

"Why are you doing this?" Harold demanded.

"I don't have to tell you," Seema said.

"I don't understand why you would protect that thing, and why you would pity this one," Harold said, pointing the gun at Lucario.

"If you can't understand why, then there's no point explaining," Seema said.

"Do you pity them because they're animals, or because you think they can offer you salvation?"

"They are Pokémon, and I don't think, I know. They've offered us all a chance to start over, but you don't have the sense to reason with them," Seema said.

"You can't reason with them. They're animals!" Harold shouted.

"No. They aren't animals. We're the animals in their eyes. Humans kill for petty reasons. We are a vain, slow, stupid species that can't see past their own greed," Seema said, which made Harold mad. "But Humans are a young species compared to what's been here before us, and what will be here long after. They have much to learn, and Myu offered a chance to those who were willing. But the rest of the race spent all their chances, so now they're ignored because they refuse to change."

"You associate yourself with them?" Harold questioned. "Then you are the enemy and will receive no mercy." He aimed his gun at Seema. "Let's see if your precious Pokémon come to save you, Seema."

"Actually," Seema began. "My name is Mew."

As Harold prepared to shoot, something grabbed his head and pulled so hard he missed. He stumbled around and Seema saw Hope yanking on the man's head.

"You leave my new mother alone!" the Manaphy shouted. Harold reached behind himself and managed to pull her off, but Seema rammed him hard, then grabbed one of the rifles and clubbed him with the end of it, sending him crashing against one of the crystals.

Seema grabbed Hope and held her close.

Harold got up, shards of the crystal clinging to his clothes. "You will pay for that!" he shouted before raising his gun, only to see the crystal dust on it suddenly turn to yellow gel, wrapping around the gun and enveloping it and his hand. He desperately tried to rub it off, but it only marched upwards on his arm. He grabbed his knife, and with some hesitance, tried to cut off his arm before the gel had a chance to reach his body. But the shards on his shirt and pants turned to the same gel and began to consume him. He began screaming in anger as he saw his wounded arm disappear.

Seema shielded Hope's eyes, so the young girl didn't have to see this. Harold continued to roar in anger and fear as the gel continued to envelope him. Before long, only his eyes were left and Seema saw a mix of fear and primal rage in them before they too disappeared, and Harold saw no more as his vision was consumed with yellow.

* * *

Judas continued trying to reach Harold, but he wasn't having much luck. "No good. He must be too deep in the mountain."

"Keep trying. We have to warn him," the radio operator said before the base suddenly shook.

"Sir, a lightning bolt struck the base," a soldier left behind reported. "Now there's a hole above our ammunition depot."

"If another lighting bolt strikes all that ammo," Judas said fearfully.

"Relax kid, lighting never strikes twice in the same place," the operator assured him. A rumble was heard over the base before another lightning bolt struck a box of explosives, setting off a chain of explosions that destroyed the base.

And across the whole world, everything humans had ever built was destroyed. Cities were drowned, monuments were torn apart, and all the bases that had survived the human destruction were obliterated. And like that, the planet was lifeless, save for the Pokémon and Humans inside the Tree of Beginning, which was safe in the eye of the storm.

* * *

In the Tree, the Pokémon returned to the Nursery. "That was crazy! Did your soldiers get consumed by yellow gel creatures?" Pikachu asked the others, who nodded.

"Myu must have put in that defense in advance," Pidgeot deduced.

"Oh my, the Humans in the Nursery!" Zoroark exclaimed. They started running, only to find the crowd of one-hundred thirty-one Humans surrounding the kids and eggs.

"What the heck happened?" Mike asked. "Suddenly the crystals came to life and targeted the weapons we were carrying, taking them away. We dropped them and went to the eggs and the crystals left us alone."

"Maybe Myu was protecting them," Infernape said.

"I need help!" Everyone turned to see Seema carrying a bleeding Lucario into the room.

"What happened?" Karina asked.

"Harold. He shot Lucario twice," Seema answered, laying the canine down. "Help him, please."

"I can do something," Chansey said. She walked up, holding the egg-shaped stone she kept in her pouch.

"I though you were the best fighter amongst us," Lopunny said to her mate.

"He surprised me," Lucario said. Chansey's egg started glowing as she prepared to use a healing ability she had. But then, the crystals started glowing brighter than ever, bathing the room in a blue-white light.

"What's going on?" Mike said.

"I don't know," Seema said before the crystal suddenly exploded with light. They were all forced to cover their eyes or be blinded by the crystal's radiance. Throughout the Tree, the other crystals also lit up a brilliant white.

The Humans and Pokémon desperately closed their eyes to shut out the light, but even through closed eyes, the light persisted, making the eyelids useless.

Hope watched her father, Myu, who was enveloped in a blue aura that almost seemed to be melded with his body. She had stayed behind while Seema took Lucario to be healed. Suddenly, all the crystals around her went from blue to white, becoming so bright she couldn't bear to look at them. And her father was surrounded in the same white light, which became so large that he disappeared into the white. She was forced to close her eyes to prevent them from being blinded, and eventually had to place her flippers over them to try and shut out the light, but it did little good.

Myu could feel the power radiating through and out of him, and he could feel it was almost done. Now he needed to picture the world he wanted, which was no problem. He had been imagining his world for the past twenty years. With the image in his mind, he summoned all his power, curling up into a ball. Then, he instantly uncurled, sending his power out in a blast of pure light.

The Tree turned a bright white before the light exploded out in a massive wave that covered the planet, touching every crack and crevice. The light covered the barren landscape, dispelling the turbulent storms, and left behind lush fields and trees, flowing streams and rivers, mountains and lakes across the new landscapes as the sun rose over the Tree.

And then, it was done.

* * *

Lucario slowly opened his eyes when the light passed. He sat up and looked himself over. The injuries were gone, curtesy of Chansey, who had completed her healing before collapsing. The others got up slowly, making sure no one was hurt.

"What was that?" Mike asked.

Lucario tried to come up with an answer before his rebooting senses detected something he had never felt before. A bright smile came to his face as he realized what it was.

"What is it, Lucario?" Seema asked.

" _I… I feel… life,"_ he said. _"Not just here, but everywhere. I can see life across the whole world, not just in our home. It's… beautiful."_

Everyone heard him, and slowly they realized what he meant. They all cheered, celebrating that the world was reborn.

The celebration was cut short when they saw the crystals turn red.

"What's that mean?" Mike asked.

" _I don't know,"_ Lucario answered.

Hope suddenly appeared, and she seemed scared.

"Hope, what is it?" Seema asked.

"It's my father," she answered. "Something's wrong with him!"

The Pokémon all took a glance at the red crystals, terror filling their hearts. They ran, Hope leading them through the Tree, the Humans behind them. She led them to the Heart, but they stopped just short of entering it. Inside, they could see Myu laying on the ground, a soft glow surrounding him.

"Help him!" Hope said from her father's side.

Lucario and Seema were the only ones able to work up the courage to walk in, going to Myu's side. Lucario gently rolled the blue Mew onto his back.

"Myu?" he asked fearfully.

Myu slowly opened his eyes, but he seemed weak. _"Lucario, my old friend, I knew you'd come,"_ he telepathed weakly.

" _Myu, what's wrong?"_ Lucario asked telepathically so Seema could understand.

" _To rebirth the world, I needed to have a great deal of power. But to do the whole world at once was beyond my abilities, so I needed the Staff of Creation to amplify them to the levels I needed,"_ Myu said, gesturing to the Staff which laid next to him. _"But even then, it takes a great amount of power to rebirth this entire world. To create life, you must give life. I am immortal, and have life to spare, but an entire planet is too much, even for me."_

" _What does that mean?"_ Lucario asked, his mind trying to reach any other conclusion other than what he knew in his heart.

" _I'm dying,"_ Myu said simply. The other Pokémon and Humans entered, surrounding him.

"No, you can't die!" Pikachu said, tears in his eyes.

" _Do not fear, I will survive. But I must enter a period of hibernation, during which my body will recover the life it needs, but it will take years,"_ Myu said.

"So, you will live," Mike said.

"But we won't have you," Zoroark said to Myu. "You can't leave us, we need you!"

Myu smiled. _"You don't need me. What you have left to learn, I cannot teach."_ Myu looked at all the Pokémon _"But the Humans need you. Pass on what you have learned to them. Teach them to live with nature, rather than abuse it. But I do not intend to leave you without guidance."_ Myu looked over to Seema, raising out a paw to her. _"My mate, come here."_ Many who heard that were shocked, looking at the female as she knelt next to Myu. She grabbed his paw with only two fingers. _"It is time. I must ask one last time; are you sure you want this?"_

"Yes," Seema said without hesitance.

" _Then… I give you this gift for you to be reborn,"_ Myu said, one paw on the Staff of Creation. Seema was enveloped in a white light, and to the Humans surprise, she began to shrink. The Pokémon knew what was happening, as they themselves had experienced it long ago.

When the light faded, Seema was now identical to Myu, but where he was blue, she was pink. She looked over her new paws, feeling the fur across her body. It felt better than she could have thought.

Myu gasped, little specks of light rising from him. Lucario cradled him, concerned for the blue Mew. Myu raised a shaky paw, pointing it at one of the crystals. _"Lay me next to that,"_ he asked. Lucario took him over to the crystal, gently placing him down, back on the crystal. Once he did, Myu placed a paw on the crystal, and it glowed blue. Crystals began to form around Myu, slowly enveloping him.

" _Now I rest, my task complete,"_ Myu said, sounding relieved.

"No, I don't think we can do this without you," Pikachu protested. "There must be another way."

" _It is time that you all move on. My children, I have guided you all for the last twenty years, but now I leave you to find your own way in the new world."_

"We'll continue on," Infernape assured.

"We'll make sure your world remains the paradise you created it to be," Charizard said.

" _And we will never forget you,"_ Lucario said finally, bowing his head.

" _This isn't goodbye. I'll be back,"_ Myu said before the crystals encased him completely.

The red color in the crystals faded. They became green. The new Mew looked down sadly. Myu told her this would happen, but she didn't think it would hurt this much. She felt a hand on her back and turned to see Mike standing there.

"It's nice to see you found someone. I'm only sorry it had to end this way Seema," he said.

She turned around to face him. _"It's not the end, Mike,"_ she said telepathically. _"I will see him again one day, when it's his time to return."_ She glanced at the crystal that held Myu before facing Mike again. _"And, its Mew."_ She flew down to hug Hope, the Manaphy crying. _"It's okay, Hope, I'll take care of you from now on. I've always wanted a daughter."_

Hope leaned into the embrace, feeling comforted by her new mother. "Thank you," she whispered.

Lucario started walking out, the rest of the Humans and Pokémon following him. He reached Myu's hollow before continuing to a ledge that looked outside. They gasped when they saw the view.

For miles in every direction, the could see endless expanse of green and blue and the view didn't stop with a ring of mountains.

"Guess this is the new world," Mike said.

"Wonder what we'll find out there," Karina said.

" _It's only a shame Myu isn't here to see it with us,"_ Lucario said.

" _He may not be here, but he will be watching over us,"_ Mew assured. _"So long as the world lives, Myu will live, and he will always be watching us. Always."_

The Pokémon agreed, but they felt like they needed to do something. So they did the only thing that they could do; they sang. Lucario and Mew sang telepathically for the Humans, so they could sing along. And as one people, they sang.

"Peace was gone, it had been spurned

And so the world flashed and burned

For death had come in spears of white

And the world trembled in the fright

The sky was red, the ground was black

The air was filled with scrap and flack

The rain came down a sickly green

And no more hope was ever seen

Then came an awesome sight to behold

A little creature with power untold

He offered peace and a new life

With no more anger and no more strife

He turned us and saved us solely

And taught us to be pure and holy

He created a Tree that would break ground

For us, a new world soon to be found

The First gave us lessons to learn

And our spirit we now did earn

And we, the kin of his congregation

Gave rise to a whole new generation"

They paused their song, the tone going from a solem to a more joyous tone.

"Then we met ones who came before

And our hatred it then did soar

Because the world they once did blight

We turned a blind eye to their plight

But then she came and did strongly plead

That we help them in their time of need

So we tried to forgive and forget

And a friendship we forever set"

They did another pause, and the song became a lament.

"Now the world that is reborn

But at a loss we now mourn

The First rests in the Tree so deep

Until he wakes again from sleep"

 **End of Chapter 8**

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	10. Epilogue

A World Reborn - Epilogue

Mew looked through her massive pile of toys, searching for something to play with today. She had acquired them over the centuries, most of them from the palace that was only a short distance for the Tree of Beginning, her home. As she looked through the piles, she found a small plush that was dirty and torn, but it held great memories for her. She picked it up and flew out of the pile, leaning against one of the crystals in her hollow as she looked at the torn toy. It was in the shape of a Pokémon, and in better condition, it would have resembled her, but with blue fur. She hugged it as she remembered it had been a gift, and memories from long ago appeared unbidden.

She remembered she had located a clearing for both Pokémon and Humans to reside, which was where Cameron Palace now resided. Together, they built a small village which became bigger over the years. As time passed, Humans and Pokémon left and spread all over the world, determined to discover everything made for them. This toy she held had been made for Lucario's son, who gave it to her on his deathbed, as he hoped that one day she would be reunited with the Pokémon she loved.

Centuries passed, and Mew witnessed all her mortal friends die, their children left behind as they spread throughout the world. She carried on, for she was immortal. Unions of a unique kind were formed between Human and Pokémon, many of them becoming partners and friends as they slowly filled the world. Humans advanced in technology, but they had Pokémon to restrict how far they went, and a memory that resided in them all kept them from ever developing the same weapons of the past.

Sure, there were conflicts, but none of them ever escalated to worldwide as in the past. Her mate's perfect world was maintained, as the lessons he imparted became ingrained into the genes of every Pokémon, who always checked humanity from destroying itself.

She felt a presence nearby and laid the toy down to see who it was. She flew outside the Tree, and in the distance, she could see a young man and a Pikachu, side by side. She smiled as she remembered what had happened within the last century. Trainers had become popular now, with many of them making it their life goal to capture every Pokémon and be the best Trainer in the world. But that dream burned brighter for this Human.

She flew back into the Tree, and was greeted by Hope, who was now all grown up and had several children of her own.

"Hope, my child, what is it?" Mew asked.

"It's time," was all she said. Mew was about to ask when the crystals turned blue. Mew had seen this only one other time and knew what this meant. Eagerly, she and Hope made their way to the Heart. There, they went over to a specific crystal outcropping, which pulsed and glowed, and inside they could see a figure stirring.

The crystals receded, revealing a blue Mew resting there. Mew cradled him with her paws, staring at his eyes. "Myu?" she asked.

Slowly, the blue Mew opened his eyes, and looked directly at her. "Mew, you're here," he said quietly. She nodded, tears in her eyes. They hugged, glad to be reunited at long last. "I love you, Mew."

"I love you too, Myu," Mew said, holding her eternal mate in her arms.

 **End**

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 **Acknowledgments**

Thanks to my mom for proofing and making necessary changes.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokémon


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